A/N- Holy crap, has it really been this long since the last time I updated this fanfic? 0_0

Sorry for the long wait, I've been very busy with things like finishing up one of my fanfics, but I hope this chapter makes up for it. The funny thing is that I had this half-written on my laptop, but I'm so glad I finally got to it. I'll be honest, I'm not sure how often I'll be able to update this fanfic, but I will try and make it work while I work on my other writing projects and such. But thank you all for being patient with me.

Oh, and before I forget, I'll now respond to reviews in upcoming chapters like this one. I figured it'd be nice to do so, so here are my replies to a few users who commented on my fanfic.

Plague Doctor 2035: Thank you so much! I'm glad you think so, and I agree with your statement. If anyone found themselves in a different body, it would certainly not be easy to get used to it within a couple of days or so. As far as Gem and the Great Prince meeting again go, you're about to find out soon enough ;)

Fl1y1ngD0gg0: Lol, being in another body would certainly be rough, that's for sure XD

Guest: Close, but Gemina actually isn't an albino. She just has a white coat, is all ^^

Mushishixxxholic: Glad you do!

Alright, well, I'll now let you guys get on with reading! Enjoy the chapter, and I will see you all soon!

Chapter 4

Early morning came, and Gemina woke up fresh as a daisy. While waiting for Friend Owl, she realized it had been two days since she had last had some water. The human-turned-deer barely noticed that her throat had been dry as dust, but she supposed the berries she had the other day gave her the needed fluids. However, Berry juice wouldn't be enough for her, and water was the main priority. As Gemina thought of water, it almost made her throat tighten and heavily breathe…

Gemina quickly drove that thought away, hoping Friend Owl would help her find some water source. After all, he lived in these forests and likely knew some excellent drinking spots. What I would give to have some orange juice with bacon and eggs… the white doe wished.

Suddenly, her thoughts ended when she heard shouter from a young ash tree. She looked up to see two jays arguing about a nest. "Get away, you murderer!" one of them yelled.

"Keep cool, you fool," the other spat. "I'm not afraid of you."

"Look for your own nests, or I'll break your head for you!" The first jay threatened. "What vulgarity! What vulgarity!"

Gemina watched the commotion puzzled. They were like two kids fighting over a toy, and before she could even think about walking away and acting as if she hadn't witnessed that scene, the second jay noticed her staring at them and made his way down a few branches. "What are you looking at, you old goat?!"

The white deer's jaw dropped at that jay's rudeness, and her fur bristled, her blood aflame like it was gasoline. "Who you calling an old goat, you ugly pigeon?!"

It looked like steam wanted to whistle out of the second jay's earholes like a kettle as he cried out, "What did you just call me?!"

Before Gemina could continue giving that bird a piece of her mind, Friend Owl suddenly appeared between the two. "Excuse me," the old owl said to the second jay in a displeased tone. "If I were you, I'd be on my way. The forest has gotten loud enough as it is with your embarrassing shouters."

The second jay frustratingly stumbled on his words, and as he did, Friend Owl held his gaze on him with narrowed eyes. After a minute or so, the jay yelled in defeat and carried on to a different forested area. The first jay didn't even try to provoke Gemina or the old owl and simply clamped his beak shut and turned away from them. The white deer couldn't help but smile, amused by what happened, and she did all she could to hold back a chortle.

Friend Owl shook his head towards the direction the second jay vanished to. "Not a day goes by when someone isn't rude." He then looked at Gemina, his gaze softened. "Good morning, Gem. I hope he didn't ruin your mood. Some animals can be full of themselves."

"Oh, do I know," Gemina replied, the memory of Josh and Desiree on that couch trying to taunt her and make her cry a river. They had been at second base, and she didn't even want to picture them at third base. She flicked that memory off to the side and focused on the present. "But thank you for standing up for me. I think what you did improved my mood."

Friend Owl chuckled. "Well, I'm happy to hear. Are you ready to get going?"

Gemina nodded but suddenly remembered her parched throat when some saliva scuttled down it. "Oh, before I forget, do you think you could take me to some water source? I'm pretty thirsty."

"Of course," the old owl answered in a friendly tone. "There's a pond not too far from here. Come, let us go to it."

A few minutes passed as Gemina followed Friend Owl—her legs still being an issue—and her throat kept begging for anything cold and refreshing for satisfaction.

Regarding morning routines, she usually got ready for the day, ate her breakfast, and then went to school. Whenever she didn't have school, she did music-related things, baking, etc. But it depended on her mood for the most part and what her schedule was like. Now that she was a white deer—for who knew how long—her morning, afternoon, and night routines would not be the same. Gemina had the feeling she would not like it at all.

Moments later, the white doe began to notice something glistening like starlight with occasional ripples. It didn't take her long to register what it was as she closed her icy-blue eyes during the walk—almost tripping a few times. She could hear the gentle white noise of the pond, a perfect place for anyone that desired to unwind and have some peace and quiet. Gemina didn't plan to stick around here for long, though.

"Here we are," Friend Owl announced when they reached the pond. "Once you're done, we can get going."

Gemina nodded, her eyes remaining closed. "Works for me. Thank you again."

She slowly advanced, using her front legs to help guide her as if she were blind until one of her hoofs sank into the all-familiar liquid feeling. It was a little cold at the touch, making a chill slither through the white doe's body. Keeping her breathing steady and eyes shut, Gemina lowered her head until her mouth came into contact with the pond. Almost greedily, she began gulping down lots and lots of water. She had been a bit worried about how it would taste—since humans could get a disease by drinking anything dirty—but to her surprise, it tasted clean and fresh.

That can't be, Gemina thought. It doesn't taste funny. Can my tastebuds and new body now handle the water source and food out here that no human can assimilate without the proper survival tools?

The pond seemed safe for her the more she drank from it, but what about the herbs deer usually ate? As much as Gemina didn't want to, she had to test her theory to see if the herbs would taste different in a good way. Berries she didn't have to worry about since she grew up with them, but as far as the other plants went… Gemina could only hope she wouldn't get poisoned.

Friend Owl observed the white deer as she took mouthfuls of water from the pond. He rubbed the underside of his beak and hummed to himself. The old owl had noticed that her eyes had been closed when she strode toward the pond, and it was reasonable that most animals would have their eyes shut when quenching their thirst, but this was some odd behavior from Gemina. First, the wobbling, and now this.

He began to think back to his conversation with the Great Prince the other night. Could Gemina have possibly been touched by Man? That was when Friend Owl started to think about the few details: the wobbling, her claiming she came from a 'far-off land,' and that mark on her neck. One could immediately find her peculiar, but that didn't mean she posed a threat, right? Even though the old owl found this doe rather sweet, he had to admit she seemed to be hiding something.

Friend Owl decided not to pester her about it, though. She seemed to have a lot on her hoofs, and he didn't want to add any stress to her. Whatever secrets she had, though, surely she'd come clean about them, right?

Gemina returned to the same meadow from yesterday with Friend Owl—after he checked their surroundings, of course, to see if it was safe—and while she had struggled a little once more with the walking, she had other things on her mind, like doing some taste testing. The first thing she was curious about trying was the grass since that was what most herbivores would graze on. She sniffed the little strands of green, and her sense of smell picked up a lot—more than her human form would've. It was sweet and sharp, reminding her of a recently mowed lawn in the summertime. Gemina also got a whiff of natural dirt and could've sworn she smelled different layers.

To her amazement, she detected other things nearby with her nose: trees, bushes, and even species of animals. Gemina felt like she had gained unknown superpowers, which felt unreal to her as this stuff only happened in stories. Even her hearing seemed to have upgraded as sounds seemed so near yet so far. What else could she do in this form that she couldn't do as a human?

Realizing she was sidetracking, Gemina cut her attention back to the grass. The moment of truth. Here's to my health… Gemina unenthusiastically thought.

Hesitantly, she then dipped her head toward the blades of grass, and before long, her teeth locked onto some of it. She was prepared for an awful tang to overtake her taste buds, but that was quite far from it. Gemina thought it was delectable, almost like eating a salad.

Wow, Gemina's words traveled through her head. I think I'm right! I have to try some other things out here!

And off she went with her ongoing taste testing. To the best of her abilities, she crossed over to the nearest tree—a bigleaf maple—and tried to find a weak spot on its skin that her teeth could lock onto. To her luck, she spotted a bit of it rotting off the tree around her height. Gemina peeled off a piece, stripping the tree some more. It was earthy, woody, and nutty on the outer part of it, but on the inner part of it, she could almost detect maple sap.

Not bad, Gemina thought after swallowing. It kind of reminds me of nut bark. Okay, now, what to try next? The white doe began to scan the meadow while trying to walk when suddenly, a few tones almost made her jump.

"Good morning, Gem!" Four voices called out to her in unison.

Gemina whirled her head over her shoulder but breathed in relief when she saw a few familiar faces down a slight slope within a bed of leaves and flowers. Tall grass towered over Mrs. Hare and her children, but it still left room for one opening for someone to see them.

"Good morning, Gem," Mrs. Hare politely greeted the white deer.

Putting on a friendly smile, Gemina approached them. "Good morning, Mrs. Hare, Thumper, girls. Nice to see you again."

"What you doing?" Thumper asked with curiosity.

"Oh, you know, just getting something to eat."

"You should eat what we're eating." The gray rabbit indicated the flowers that were red clovers. "Have you ever had them before?"

"Honestly, I don't think I've ever had."

Thumper's eyes goggled, but Gemina could see that he seemed very eager to tell her all about it. "Boy, are you in for a treat! It's delicious! The best thing to have ever come to exist! You should try some!"

Gemina giggled at his enthusiasm. "Okay, I'll take your word for it then."

She slid her gaze to the nearest red clover that bore the shape of a Tootsie Pop and took a whiff of it. It didn't smell deadly. Gemina then ate it in one bite, leaving no scrap behind, and she could see why Thumper loved it. It had a gentle and sweet taste with a hint of bean flavor, and it was almost like something she'd put in her baked goods.

"Well?" The gray rabbit said, waiting for her opinion.

Gemina nodded. "It's pretty good," she responded. "Thanks for introducing this to me, Thumper."

Thumper smiled proudly. "Told you! Now you won't have to eat that icky green stuff anymore. This is the good stuff." He was about to gorge on another red clover when his mother paused him midway.

"Thumper," Mrs. Hare sternly said.

Thumper's ears flattened on his head as he brought his attention to her. "Yes, Mama?"

"What did your father tell you?"

The gray rabbit ripped his eyes from his mother's, trying to act all 'innocent' like he did the other day. "About what?"

"About eating the blossoms and leaving the greens?"

"Oh, that one." Thumper folded his arms behind his back and cleared his throat as if preparing to give a speech. "Eating greens is a special treat. It makes long ears and great big feet." He emphasized the last sentence by flaunting one of his ears and feet before muttering, "But it sure is awful stuff to eat."

Gemina almost snorted when she heard the last part he said. Yup, he's definitely a lot like Jesse.

Her brother hated eating vegetables. Someone could only get him to eat them if slathered in melted cheese. God, she already missed his tantrums whenever there was no cheese on his veggies—even if it annoyed her.

"Hey, look!" One of the rabbit sisters exclaimed, pointing at something. "It's the Young Prince, Faline, and Gobo!"

Sure enough, she was right. The three fawns were playing a game, their mothers side by side as they walked, overlooking Gemina and the rabbit family.

"Hey, guys!" Thumper shouted at Bambi, Faline, and Gobo to get their attention, and it worked. "Over here!"

The fawns galloped over, joining them. "Hello," Bambi said, addressing the rabbits and Gemina.

"Good morning, children," Mrs. Hare acknowledged the trio of fawns.

"Good morning," Faline said, well-mannered.

"Good morning," Gobo echoed.

Gemina almost found herself about to sing a couple of lyrics of Good Morning from the 1952 film Singing in the Rain to add some humor. She immediately shut her mouth, swallowing the song back down her throat.

Thumper drew his gaze to his mother. "Can I go play with them?"

"Only if you bring your sisters along," Mrs. Hare said, giving her answer.

Thumper groaned.

His mother gave him a hard look.

Surrendering—seeing that he had no choice—the gray rabbit sighed. "Okay…"

"YAY!" his sisters cheerfully said, throwing themselves at their brother, bear-hugging him.

"Big brother's the best!" one of them said.

So cute, Gemina thought, amused, even though the irritation wasn't hard to miss in Thumper's brown eyes. They sure do look up to him, even if he can't see that.

The rabbit sisters tugged or pushed their brother to come along, and it wasn't long before they and the trio of fawns went off to play a game of tag. The fawns' mothers made their way over to Gemina and Mrs. Hare, and the four bid each other a good morning.

"Lovely day, isn't it?" Ena said, admiring the blue sky with puffy white clouds.

"Oh, gorgeous," Mrs. Hare agreed. "The weather is just perfect. Not too hot, not too cold, just right."

"Indeed," Winslow chimed in. "It would be a shame not to enjoy this beautiful day, and with winter slowly approaching, it would be a good idea to relish this weather while it lasts."

Gemina believed it was now September 18th, meaning it would be less than three months before winter arrived to steal the show. She shuddered at the thought of having to endure that weather and hoped she wouldn't have to worry about it by then. After all, sticking around here for too long was the last thing the white doe wanted. Home was where she was meant to be.

Gemina was about to join the conversation when something suddenly touched her. "Tag, you're it!" Bambi made his presence known and laughed as he bounced around like a ball.

"Come on, Gem!" Gobo merrily spoke. "Come play with us!"

Winslow chuckled. "Looks like the kids want you to join them. You wouldn't mind, would you?"

A smile reached Gemina's face as she shook her head. "Not at all; I'm great with kids. I actually used to babysit."

Whenever she wasn't busy with anything, Gemina often babysat to earn some money. It was a bonus for the parents if she ever watched over their children since she knew how to have fun with them, was very kind to them, etc. Even though there would be no money-making in this case scenario, she didn't mind still playing with the kids.

"Splendid!" Mrs. Hare said, pleased with the white doe's answer. "I like you already, Gem."

"Come on!" Bambi gaily said to Gemina. "Try and get us!"

He then dashed off, and the white deer chortled as he did. "Well, off I go then."

"Have fun with them," Winslow benignly said, "but I'm sure you will since you said you're great with kids. Play is a healthy part of a young deer's development, after all."

"Try not to let them wear you out, though," Mrs. Hare advised. "Kids have so much energy nowadays that it takes them nearly the whole day to grow exhausted."

"Don't worry, Mrs. Hare," Gemina assured the light brown rabbit. "I think I got this."

The day stretched on, the morning quickly turning to an afternoon. Gemina had been playing with the children the whole time, and they found her to be very fun. But boy, were they giving her a run for her money. With her legs, it was challenging to frolic with the children, especially when running. Each time Gemina tried to run, she looked like she was limping, and she usually ended up toppling toward the ground. The kids found it funny, and she would try to conceal her embarrassment and bluff by saying she was only letting them win, but that was far from it.

Flower had joined them some time ago, and he didn't join sooner because he was preparing for the winter. Gemina thought that he was a sweet, shy little skunk, and she started to feel like that's why he was named 'Flower'. She didn't judge his name at all and thought it was adorable.

The meadow began to swell with more animals—squirrels, ducks, field mice, shrews, moles, rabbits, deer, etc. Most of them had started noticing Gemina and were curious about her or thought that she was strange as she tried to walk/run. The white deer acted as though she didn't notice anyone staring, but she had to admit that she was getting rather uncomfortable like they saw her nude.

As if sensing how she was feeling, Friend Owl told her at one point to try not to worry about it, that it was natural, like breathing, for anyone to take notice of newcomers, have a better look at them, and express their thoughts. All Gemina could do was nod, trying to find some comfort in those words, and at one point during a middle of a game, the old owl came up to her and told her that he'd be back and that he was going to get something to eat. The white doe didn't hold him back, as everyone had to eat, so he was off to get himself a quick meal for the afternoon.

After some time of her and the kids romping around the meadow, Gemina panted and said, "Okay, I think that's enough running."

If you can even call it that, she critiqued herself.

"How are you out of breath already?" Thumper questioned. "This is a breeze."

"Hey, don't judge," Gemina said, still trying to drink in as much air as possible. "I'm just a little out of practice, is all." It was half truth and half a lie.

"Suuuuure."

"You were fun to play with, though," Bambi truthfully said. "Maybe you can play more often with us?"

"Yes, please?" Faline requested.

"Please?" the rabbit sisters repeated as one.

Finally managing to gain control of her breath, Gemina then chuckled. "Alright, alright, I think I can make it work."

The children cheered as Thumper said confidently, "We still won't go easy on you, though."

Gemina gave the gray rabbit a frisky smile. "Oh? Is that a challenge? Then I guess I better come back stronger then. Just you wait, short stuff, 'cause I'll be the one laughing in the end."

While Thumper scoffed, Bambi, Faline, Gobo, Flower, and the rabbit sisters tittered at her sense of humor. However, the fun would soon cut to an end.

At first, it was faint, but then Gemina began to hear crows cawing. There was something different about their cawing, though. She just couldn't put her finger—hoof, to be precise—on it. Gemina began to notice that the children suddenly seemed on edge as the corvids got closer and closer, and that was when she finally understood why they sounded different as they materialized in the sky like a storm. They were crying out something, and it was only one word.

"MAN!" Their voices filled the sky. "MAN! MAN!"

Screams of terror tore from most of the animals, then someone barged out from the woods, and Gemina instantly recognized him. It was the Great Prince, the same stag who rescued her from that coyote two nights ago. He ran, and everyone did the same thing or flew, retreating to the woods. Even the kids and their mothers did that. What was everyone getting so worked up about?

But Gemina began to rack her brain, remembering what those crows had been crying out. Her eyes widened, hope rising tentatively in the pit of her stomach. There was a human here! She could get their help and hoped they would understand her. Doing the opposite of what the animals were doing, the white deer treaded toward the woods where the corvids and Great Prince emerged from—while trying to avoid getting hit by anyone—stepping on her own accord, bringing her closer to what would likely be her ticket to getting rescued.

Man was here, coming to try and claim a life or two, and the Great Prince was now seeing to it that everyone got to safety. It was a perilous task as part of his duties, but who would do it if he didn't? His valor, knowledge, and leadership were what saved many lives, after all, even if he couldn't protect everyone. Man was death, and no one was safe around them.

"Hey! Hey!" The Great Prince whipped his head over his shoulder at the voice, and he saw that familiar white doe heading toward where the danger was as everyone else was getting to the safety of the woven forest, wobbling a little in the process. "Can you hear me?! I'm over here!"

She was out of her mind, and this was not normal behavior for any animal to do such a thing. The regal stag was correct to have thought there seemed to have been more to her, and he began to have a clear idea of where she might've come from. The Great Prince let out a quick sigh and raced toward the white deer, and even though a part of him thought that maybe it was better that he let Man decide her fate, he wouldn't allow the worst to come to her. He had to snap her out of her chimera and return her to reality.

"Please, I need help!" Gemina yelled out, trying to get the person's attention still somewhere in the woods. "My name's Gemina, and I'm–"

She almost stumbled on her hooves when someone blocked her path—the Great Prince. "What're you doing?!" he demanded. "Run!"

Before Gemina could even reply… BANG! A quail plummeted from the sky, colliding with the ground, lifeless with blood seeping out. The white doe's ears rang, and a shrill scream escaped her throat, her heart a war horse stampeding in her chest as she couldn't find it in herself to breathe, paralyzing waves of fear crashing over her.

"Run, now!" The Great Prince commanded, and Gemina flinched, broken free from her frozen fright.

Without being told twice, the white deer veered, and she and the regal stag bolted toward the cover of the trees. The lingering fear made her breathing and body waver, and she felt like she was trying to escape a battle zone. Gunshots cracked the air, and Gemina dared not to look back to see if another animal got killed. Her legs could barely carry her across the meadow as a few times she almost tripped, but if the Great Prince hadn't been there to keep her from falling, she likely would've struck the ground and… she did not even want to think about it.

Tears of terror streamed down Gemina's cheeks, half-blinding her vision, but the forest was somehow still in her line of sight. She just had to try and keep going and use the last of her strength, even when sharp aches were rushing through her body. However, one question popped into her mind's eye. Was she going to die today? Her answer was soon answered when she and the Great Prince crashed through the woods with the last gunshots snapping in the sky.