Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, just borrowing them for a bit.

A/N: This is actually two unconnected scenes that were individually too short to post but I couldn't add more to them without it being meaningless chatter. The first one is very early in the story and the second one is, hopefully, obviously much later.

"So what are you doing, anyway?" Fakir looked up from his writing, then quickly back down. He still wasn't used to this fae creature showing up randomly and startling him with her sudden questions.

"I'm writing," he answered simply, putting pen back to paper as he attempted to finish the thought he was in the middle of before his new... acquaintance? Friend? Companion? Whatever their budding relationship was, Fakir knew Ahiru would start peppering him with questions and he wanted to get the rest of this thought down first.

Ahiru responded to his curt answer with a huff and a roll of her eyes, "So you said last time I asked, but that doesn't explain anything."

"Just... a... mo... ment..." Fakir scribbled out the last of the thought as quickly as possible, hoping it would be legible later. When he finished he looked up and locked eyes with Ahiru, making sure to keep his line of sight well above her neck. "Writing is... uh..." Fakir stuttered as his mind struggled for an appropriate explanation. He wasn't sure telling her about the importance of recording your culture and ideas was the best way to go here. Ahiru patiently cocked her head as she waited for Fakir to sort his thoughts, the nervous hand running through his bangs was a sure sign he was thinking things through.

Finally, Fakir seemed to come to a decision. He held up the paper he had been writing on, "Each of these marks is a symbol that represents a sound. We memorize which symbols represent which sounds, then we can read them later and string the sounds together into words. It's a way to share information without having to speak face to face."

Ahiru nodded along as he spoke, accepting his overly simple explanation. "It seems very complicated for something that doesn't seem all that necessary, there are so many of you jammed in together in your cities."

"It might seem that way, but it's the best way to make sure information doesn't get twisted or lost. We have information written hundreds of years ago, written by people who've long since died and turned to dust. Holding onto old writings, it helps us remember where we come from and how much our culture has grown and changed over the years."

Ahiru turned her head slightly as she considered his words, however silly or nonsensical writing may seem to her she knew that writing was very important to Fakir and that was all that really mattered. "So what are you writing?"

Fakir felt his face heat up, he should have realized the question was coming. "I'm... writing a story."

"Oh, like a story about how your day was?" Fakir sighed, how do you explain fiction and fairy tales to a faerie creature? What stories do fae tell each other over their hearth fires, when they even have such a thing? Do forest spirits even have imaginations? They certainly had curiosity and that seemed like the start of imagination.

Fakir shook his head, his thoughts were getting too deep for the situation at hand. "How about I read you what I've written so far? That might explain things better."

Ahiru settled in comfortably next to him, placing her elbows on her knees and her chin on her hands. "Okay, go ahead."

It was the overwhelming warmth that woke Fakir up, which was odd considering the previous day the only thing that prevented him from going into town to purchase more blankets and winter wear was the abundance of snow on the ground and his lack of winter wear. Fakir didn't mind being warm though, so he attempted to roll over and go back to sleep; but whatever was keeping him so warm seemed to also be weighing him down, the writer couldn't move. That's what finally woke him fully: not being able to move. He opened his eyes and half sat up, resting on his elbows as he looked around his bedroom.

His bed was completely covered in Forest Folk. There were naked deer people curled up into balls around him and strangely colored deer laying in between those, what was weighing Fakir down specifically was a mauve colored doe with dandelions on her head he recognized as one of Ahiru's close friends. A glance to the left showed him more Forest Folk curled up on his floor in a tight circle just about the right size for the rug he was sure was under them.

The writer pinched the bridge of his nose, it was far too early in the morning for him to deal with this. He struggled to get out from under the pile of fae on his bed, then began shaking the bed as a whole. "What have I told you lot about coming inside without asking? You have to ask every time unless told otherwise! What is with you guys and not asking before doing or taking things?" Between shaking the bed and his rant, the Forest Folk woke up and groggily started exiting the room, waking up the pile on the floor as they went. "And no hooves indoors!" Fakir called after them, "The floor is not meant for that! How did you even get those antlers through the door anyway?" He heard giggles as his room emptied, most of the deer changed into naked deer people as they went. Fakir followed behind to herd them out of his home entirely, continuing to scold them the entire way. Once his home was emptied he returned to his room, hands on hips as he surveyed the mess. Flower petals, twigs, leaves, and fur everywhere... not to mention the scratches all over his wood floor. Fakir sighed, it was going to be a long day cleaning up.