For as long as Rey could remember, she'd been warned to stay away from the dark forest that stood to the east of her village, and stretched out to the north and south as far as the eye could see. It was densely populated with tall firs and pines that grew taller and taller as the forest progressed, eventually blotting out the sunlight, to the point that when the sun was shining bright and full in a cloudless sky outside the forest, within only reached twilight.
There was no place in that forest for those who loved the sunshine, she was told; evil lurked in that place, and only those who had bad intentions, who fled from the sun's truth-seeking light went there. Anyone purposely going to that place had something to hide, her mother, Nara, told her as she tied Rey's hair into the three little buns that denoted her status as an adolescent in her village.
She had been wearing the hairstyle for about three years too long; normally children her age would have discarded the badge of youth by that time, but Rey's village didn't measure maturity by the passing of years, but rather by the growth of their horns.
Rey had grown up in a village of fauns. Each spring, the village elders would take the children who's horns had broken through, and measure them with an Alder branch that was whittled and painted into several sections, each denoting a phase of life. Rey had passed each phase normally, until her horns had stopped growing just shy of the length of maturity. No one could tell her why her they weren't progressing like the others; her horns had broken beautifully the year she turned ten, and had grown at a normal rate up until her fourteenth year. Since then, there had been no change, and the elders had refused to acknowledge her as a young adult.
Small horns weren't the only trait that set Rey apart from the rest of her village; she also lacked the hooves and fur covered lower body that characterized a normal, healthy faun. In fact, physically, Rey appeared to be almost entirely human, aside from three factors: the first was the small set of horns that sat high on her forehead, almost obscured by her dark brown hair; the second was her pointed ears, and the third, was her tail. All fauns have tails of course, but they always imitated that of a sheep or goat-covered in fur, usually with a long tuft at the end. Rey's tail was exactly like a horse's tail-consisting of long, flowing hair, matching the hair on her head.
It had not been hidden from Rey that she was not born of the fauns; she had been told her story from childhood: she had been left on the doorstep of her mother's hut as a newborn, wrapped in a blanket with nothing to identify her parentage. The village had hesitantly allowed Rey's adoptive mother to keep her, as it was clear from Rey's small tail, that she was not wholly human, and children were seen as a blessing not to be denied. Had she been a human child, Rey's mother assured her, she would not have been allowed to stay. They would have probably left her on a road frequented by the humans, seeing as the fauns were not cruel folk, but bringing a human into their ranks was strictly forbidden.
The other fauns had quickly grown to love her, and she grew up in a nurturing, supportive environment. Despite all this, deep down in her heart, Rey still felt like an outsider; for many years she held out hope that her toes would someday fuse together into hooves, and that her legs would sprout a thick coat of fur, so that she could truly be a faun like everyone else.
It wasn't just her small horns and lack of fur that separated Rey from the other fauns, she had been noticing subtle differences from when she was very young; she had always loved the nighttime better than they day, and spent hours longing to go frolicking in the moonlight until sunrise. Whenever her friends played games in the meadows, Rey preferred to hang back in the shade, out of the sun's oppressive glare; she found a certain peace and feeling of safety in the shadows cast by the trees.
Even though he fauns had embraced Rey, they were exceedingly distrustful of anyone who was not a faun; they communed with the trees, plants and animals, but rejected all contact with humans and other hybrid creatures. This distrust had led them to avoid the deep forest; they knew that strange creatures lived there, and had witnessed humans flee there after committing horrible crimes. The fauns had learned long ago that the world of men lay on the other side of the dark forest; they also knew that anyone who entered it never returned again. These two pieces of knowledge inspired a healthy respect in the fauns, causing them to appreciate its existence, while dismissing all thought of going near it.
Rey often sat by herself, pondering the possibilities of her lineage; could she be human? she wondered. She had heard that humans had these weird things called toes in place of hooves much like she did. She wondered if she was perhaps half faun, and if that was why her horns were uncommonly small. If she was indeed human, what if her parents lived just beyond the dark forest; she had been taught that the forest protected them from the world of humans, and that no faun must ever go there, under the risk that the forest might not allow them to return. Rey wasn't truly a faun though, perhaps the forest would allow her safe passage.
She decided to talk it over with her mother that night when they were gathering for bed. It was a habit of theirs to chat in the evening when the stars came out and everyone else had retired; her mother always provided a willing ear, and Rey could pour out her heart without worrying about who might hear her. Nara was already sitting on her low stool by the fire when Rey came back from bathing in the river, ready to brush and braid her daughter's hair as she loved to do. She beckoned Rey to sit on the ground in front of her and began combing through her hair when Rey complied.
"Mama," Rey began "I want to find out what I am." I know who you are, you're my baby" Nara replied, giving Rey's hair a playful tug "You'll always be my baby." "I know that, mama," Rey groaned "But I'm not a faun, we both know that, and the elders are never going to acknowledge me as an adult because my horns just aren't growing anymore. What path can my life take if I have no future but that of a child?" Nara continued grooming her daughter's hair as she considered the meaning of her words. She began parting the girl's hair as she formulated her response "I know your words are true, dear one, and I have been worrying about your status with the elders since you reached your fourteenth year, and you're right, the elders will not deem you an adult, and that leaves you with very few options. There is nothing more I can tell you about your lineage than what I've already told you many times." She tilted Rey's head back to start sectioning her hair for the first braid "How do you plan to find out the nature of your species?"
Rey cleared her throat, knowing that her mother would not take what she had to say next without some degree of resistance, if not outright rejection; she chose her words carefully as she proceeded "Mama, you know the stories of all the creatures living in the deep woods, and how the world of man lies beyond..." She felt her mother's grip on her hair tighten ever so slightly "I was thinking, the creatures in the woods must be very old, they must have seen something like me in all the years they've passed, maybe someone in the wood could tell me, and if not, maybe in the land of humans..." Nara's breath hitched in her throat "Dear one, you are surely not thinking of journeying into the wood?" The alarm in her voice was undeniable, and Rey rushed to reassure her "Mama, I'll be so careful, you know the dark has never bothered me, and I'm the fastest runner, and I can be so quiet as I make my way through the forest, no beast will detect me if I don't want them to."
Nara rubbed a hand across her brow, her eyes looking very tired all of a sudden "I won't lie, I knew this day would come; I knew that you would feel the urge to find out all you could about who you are, though I always prayed that the gods would delay it for as long as possible" Rey's eyes widened at her mother's words "Y-you mean you won't keep me from going?" she asked incredulously, having expected to meet with much more resistance, and not quite knowing what to do, as she hadn't planned for this reaction.
"Yes, Rey, that's what I mean. Your sisters and I will miss you terribly, and I don't know that the elders will allow you to return to us, once you've gone; I hope you have thought this through and considered the consequences." Rey was silent for a few moments; she had definitely thought about the possibility of never returning to the safety of her village, and though it broke her heart to even think about never feeling her mother's strong embrace again, she couldn't remain there, while her sisters became adults and pursued their talents, while she remained a child in everyone's eyes, of no real use to anyone.
"I have to find out what I am. There's nothing else for it, mama, it's my only option. Maybe once I know, I can come back and prove my usefulness to the elders and all of you." Nara nodded, smiling through the tears welling up in her eyes "Well then, we have to plan this carefully. You know the elders will never allow this if they find out before you leave. You must go very soon, as soon as you are ready." "Yes, I know" Rey agreed "I was thinking day after tomorrow, in the evening, about this time, when everyone has gone to sleep."
Her mother bowed her head in agreement, taking Rey's shoulders in her grasp and turning her so they were face to face; she leaned in, touching their foreheads together "Gather what you need for food tomorrow, I'll make sure you have the necessary tools to take with you. Now my love, go and get your rest, you will need all you can get.
The time had come for Rey to leave her village and begin her quest to discover her true nature; she'd spent the day gathering berries and edible roots, knowing that her mother would have bread for her to take as well. They met on the edges of the village that evening to put her pack together and say their goodbyes. Nara quickly embraced her daughter and held out a small bundle "This is for you my love, the outside world does not abide by the same rules we do, and you must do your best to blend in." Rey opened the package to find a shift made of soft but durable fabric, a leather jerkin, and matching leather breeches. She looked at her mother quizzically "Clothes? Mother, they're lovely, but why do I need these?" Nara laughed, shaking her head at her daughter's naivety "Darling, we fauns don't wear undergarments because we have fur, and therefore have no need of them; you have no fur, and while that has never been cause for concern with us, you must cover yourself with more than your usual short smock. Trust me, you may hate clothing, but they will keep you warm, and also keep you safe."
She helped Rey shrug out of the simple tunic she usually wore, and that barely came down past her butt, and held it for her as Rey donned her new garments. She had gotten into the smock and jerkin without issue, but when she go to the breeches, she held them out in front of her, looking skeptically at her mother "Mama, how are these supposed to work? My tail will get in the way." Nara hid a chuckle behind her hand and motioned for Rey to turn around, she proceeded to braid Rey's tail just like she braided her hair before bed; once she was done, she turned Rey back around and took the breeches from her, showing her that in the back, there were laces like that of a corset, she untied and loosened the laces, then held the pants out and motioned for Rey to step into them. She then turned Rey away from her again, and pulled the laces to a comfortable tightness, and then tied them off.
Rey bent her knees and then lunged from side to side, swiveling her hips around to get the feel of her new restrictive garments. "I suppose they'll do" She remarked doubtfully "I really wish I didn't have to wear them, though" Nara patted her on the head "There, there, if the worst thing you have to endure is clothing, I will be a very happy mother." She handed Rey her pack and staff, taking a moment to look her daughter over one last time, bringing a hand up to stroke her face, and tuck a stray wisp of hair behind the girl's ear. Rey threw her arms around her mother in a tight embrace, trying her best, and ultimately failing, to suppress the sob that had leapt unbidden into her throat. Nara hugged her daughter tightly, neither of them wanting to let go, both of them knowing that they had to.
Nara broke free first, kissing Rey on both cheeks and the forehead "Alright, dear one, it's time." she whispered. Rey nodded, unable to articulate anything beyond a rasped out "I love you." With one last squeeze of her hand, she was gone, heading for the path that led to the deep woods at almost a run, afraid that she would lose her nerve at any moment.
After a while, Rey slowed her pace, having gotten far enough away from the village to be out of danger of turning back. She had almost reached the edge of the dark forest, and could see how the darkness within seemed so deep that she almost felt that she could reach out and touch it. It seemed to call to her, drawing her into the soft velvety embrace of its depths. She'd never been afraid of the dark; in fact it had always seemed like a refuge from the stark, blinding light of day, and she had often longed to explore the secrets it held.