Thorn

Young female fawn slowly paced into the terrain. Her spindly limbs moving her almost silently through the grass. She stopped and sunk her head to begin grazing on the grass below. Her ears were upright and alert and her body tense incase she needed to speed away from danger to safety. Her eyes were wide with fear and her heart pulsed sharply with fear. The 1 year old could be barely seen above the top of the grass. Hopefully she wouldn't be seen by a predator...

Orchid

The red deer moved skilfully through the long grasses, keeping her senses highly alert and atuned to the surroundings. She was unnerved at being on her own, for her kind liked to live in groups. As the hind moved on, a faint scent came to her that lifted her spirits. Could it be, another deer?

Orchid picked up her pace, moving a bit more swiftly but with all the same grace and stealth she had with entering the prairie. It wasn't long before her keen eyes, one of her sharpest senses, came to rest on the yearling doe. For a moment Orchid froze, her dark orbs scanning for not only danger, but the youngster's mother. There didn't seem to be any other deer in sight however, so Orchid made a slow advance towards Thorn, "Hello there, young one. Why are you alone out here?" As she moved closer, Orchid realized this was not of her species, but close enough anyways. Her maternal instincts were strong.

Thorn

Yearling looked up as the scent of another came to her senses. She looked round and saw a hind approach her. She smiled as she saw the doe. This wasn't one of her kind but she didn't care. She moved closer to the hind. Her ears pricked up as she listened before replying in a small, sweet voice.

Hello. My mother, she is dead and my father, he's abandoned me...

A tear slid down her face as she remebered her past. She moved closer to the doe for comfort, she felt safe now. She looked up to the hind, her eyes wide and watering, yet kind and sweet.

I'm Thorn.

Orchid

One ear was funneled towards the young one's voice, while the other tilted back to catch any disturbing sounds. Her heart went out instantly to the fawn, "Poor little thing!" She crooned and reached her slender head down to nuzzle Thorn on the top of the head, "I will watch over. You can be my little fawn now." The hind smiled, "My name is Orchid."

Thorn

She looked up to see the hind bend down. A warm, fuzzy feeling rippled down her spine as Orchid touched her head. She smiled as the doe said the words she had waited a long time to hear.You can be my little fawn now. It sounded magical.

Mom...

She ran under the hind and rubbed against her lags affectionately.

Orchid

The hind felt a great surge of joy in her heart at being called mom. Her faced flushed with the most tender, motherly look as she gazed down at her little one. Turning her head back to Thorn, Orchid liked her on the head a few times, both grooming the fawn and comforting her.

"Well, my little Thorn, are you hungry? I'm afraid I've no milk though, but I could find you the best patches of vegetation." Now her mind started to bubble with thoughts. All the new things she would teach Thorn; about predators, healing plants, humans, the best places to find food...

Thorn

Yeah mom.

She smiled as her mom liked her head and she looked up at her with big saucer eyes, filled with love and happiness. She grinned and began to run and jump around in a crazy way before tottering back to her mother.

Solange

The white-tailed buck had been out on patrol for a long while now and was just getting ready to head back to his home herd. But then he stopped, spying movement a little ways off. Running quickly over the ground with his head slightly lowered, the buck drew nearer until he recognized the two deer. He smiled inwardly at the sight.

"Hail!" he cried out, but his tone was friendly and he gave a greeting dip of his antlers. But his anterls... oh, they were peculiar. Their beams curved slightly downward, and his tines were very thick and pointing out every which way; a strange mutation. "Have you no herd, Miss? It is awfully dangerous to be alone with a calf here." He pointed out, coming closer, but not too close.

Orchid

She grinned at the youngster's antics, and was about to speak when a scent came to her. Her head whipped upwards and his nostrils flared in alarm. Her ears stood out ridgedly on either side of her head. She lifted a front hoof and beat it once against the ground, a sort of warning to Thorn to come near and to be wary. But soon enough, the hind spotted Solange, who's scent she had picked up. She eased up a little, for she never heard of a buck harming someone's fawn.

Still, Orchid kept her guard up until his polite manners eased her tension. She nodded her sleek muzzle faintly, "Hail to you. We've no herd." Orchid glanced down at Thorn once, simply making sure the fawn was safe, before she looked back to Solange.

Thorn

She saw her mother grin before watching her freeze and stamp her hoof. Thron immediately ran towards Orchid and hid beneath her. Her ears were alert and her eyes closed in fear. Yet she felt her mother elax and so opened her eyes slowly. She also smelt the scent and looked to where it was coming from. She saw a buck with wierd antlers. He was her kind, a white-tailed deer. She relaxed and tottered out from beneath her mom. She stopped a little way from the buck before speaking sweetly.

Hi! I'm thorn! Who are you?

Solange

He nodded briefly to Orchid then slid his eyes down to Thorn, giving a bit of a smirk at the fawn's friendly greetance, "I'm Solange, and it's a pleasure to meet you." But as Solange studied the youngsters, his expression lit with confusion, for he now saw that this little fawn was not a red deer at all. The quizzical look faded just as quickly as it had come, for Solange assumed that Thorn was adopted by this hind. Smiling anew, he spoke again, turning his attention back to Orchid, "You are very welcome to join my herd. It may not be what you're use to... but there is another hind, of your species, that lives there."

Orchid

Orchid listened carefully to his words and a smile flickered across her elegant muzzle. She hadn't expected a white-tail to invite her to a herd, but she was more than happy for the offer. "That sounds wonderful. Are there any fawns? I wouldn't want my little Thorn to be lonely." Orchid pointed out, although Thorn didn't have any others to play with at the moment anyway.

Thorn

The yearling smiled, looking from her mum to the new stag.

That sounds great! Can we go mom please!!

Her ears were a'flick and her eyes, filled with curiosity and happiness danced from her mother to the stag. Her spindely legs carried her petite body back to her mother. She rubbed against her legs before letting her gaze settle on Solange.

Solange

The buck perked his ears up, hearing a distant call from his lord.So he's moved them? Good! He thought silently to himself and glanced towards Thorn. Again a grin came to him in response to the youngster's attitude. He knew that youngsters would liven up the herd, and he hoped Orchid would accept the invitation. "You are welcome to follow me if you wish to join. Our land isto the north wester area of this prairie; not too far at all. Plenty of water and food." The buck nodded at the duo, then began to head for the terra. But before he got there, the scent of another caught his attention, and Solange's direction was averted towards a mule deer.

Orchid

The hind didn't need long to think about it. Besides, Thorn's eagerness, and Orchid's willingness to appease her fawn, where too much for the deer to go against. She smiled sweetly down at the youngster, 'Yes Thorn, we will join the herd. Maybe we can find you a friend or two to play with." The encouraged. Her large eyes flashed to Solange as he began to leave. Flicking her tail a bit, the hind began to follow after him. But she was constantly looking to Thorn and scanning the surroundings to make sure nothing harmful found its way to her fawn.

Thorn

She grinned at her mother when she accrpted Solange's invitation. She saw her mother follow the buck and so followed on her spindly legs. She ran and jumped around but continuously looked for her mother and the buck to make sure they were still there.