Colder were the winds, darker were the nights, bleaker were the colors... Most of autumn had passed before anyone noticed, especially for the young ones. Those born prior to winter only heard of what it was like — the whole forest in white, all water frozen and trees barren from their leaves, soon barren from their bark too after a certain point.

For some, it'd be a beautiful sight to behold. But those older knew what lies beneath that snowy, alluring beauty. If neither cold nor hunger claimed one's life, then a starved predator would; if neither option, then Man would take their life away. That is how it was in the Forest. That is the way of Life, of Nature. Until the season changed, however, they could appreciate these last few weeks, blissfully unaware of what Nature had in store for them...

One of these days, while the two rodents -Eike and Corin- and Aydan were somewhere else — most likely watching Bran brag about his antlers slowly getting bigger — Eurig went off to find Bruno near Nettla's den while the older doe was out, probably to find some food. Eurig figured it was a good opportunity to properly talk to him, as they haven't been that particularly close. And perhaps, confirm a suspicion of hers.


As it turned out, the Young Prince was indeed at the den, chasing a golden butterfly in circles until it decided to land on his head, just in between his eyes. Eurig could barely contain a giggle — imagine Bruno all surrounded by these butterflies? Too adorable a sight to think of. Coming to think of it, his spots were starting to fade away bit by bit; once glaringly noticeable in summer, now starting to blend with the rest of his fur, it wouldn't be long until his antlers finally came in.

Stepping a little closer, she spoke at last:

"Hello, Bruno. I see your spots are disappearing already." Startled, he turned to Eurig's direction, that butterfly flying off and left ignored.

"Ah, hello Eurig! Are they, really?" He quickly glanced back where his spots were, tail wagging and ears perked up in delight, then returned his attention to Eurig. "Where's Bran?" He asked, briefly looking to each side as if trying to spot her brother.

"Hm, showing off his antlers to the others. They've grown a bit more; typical of him, really." She half-shrugged. If she'd been born a buck, Eurig doubted she'd be any different.

"Was he always like that?"

"Not much. Well, having finally grown a pair of them made him smile much more, that's for sure. Heh, so much for wanting to look like Father." She let out a mirthless laugh; Bruno's ears went up in curiosity.

"You've met your father? I thought Princes didn't really talk to their fawns. Aunt Nettla told me so." He said matter-of-factly. So he knew how it was for the older deer, granted he's never met his own sire. She felt compelled to continue.

"Well, there's always exceptions to the rule, but your... Aunt, she's right. It's the way of tradition, after all.

"Princes only stay with their mates for a certain part of the year, then they leave; the does, in turn, raise the young. Meanwhile a Great Prince protects the herd and the entire Forest. That's tradition." She said it so nonchalantly, it made Bruno even more curious, and perhaps concerned as well.

"That's what Aunt Nettla says sometimes. How everything in the forest follows this "way of tradition" as it's always been and how it'll always be... I guess." His tone made it seem like he didn't quite grasp the concept yet, leaving Eurig with an amused smile. Then again, who could blame him? Though approaching one year of life, he was still a child and had yet much to learn from Nature and life itself.

"Does that mean your father is an exception, then?"
The smile quickly disappeared. As simple as a question it was, the answer was far from being simple.

"He was an exception." She then slowly shook her head, taking a deep breath. "Not anymore."

Bruno's eyes widened. His throat felt as if it was tightening.

"Y-you mean-"

"Yes. He's... Gone." Eurig's tone flattened, the shine in her eyes fading as well. "And I saw it happen. All because of Him."

"Him".

Man.

"You... You saw Man?" His tone was in a hushed exclamation, as if wary of others who could hear him. She gave a single nod.

"It happened back in autumn last year. Bran wasn't there to watch it. Father and I were at the meadow, until he told me to run and not look back. I did so, but then heard that sound... I looked, just for a moment. I saw Him and His dogs drag Father away... I wish I could forget what I saw that afternoon..." The more she spoke, the more Bruno was trembling yet still wanting to know more. This felt far too familiar.

"And then... Mother wasn't quite the same afterwards. Bran and I are on our own now." Bruno remained silent, looking down and ears drooping. What else would he say? What could he say? Worse of all, he knew how it felt like, because—

"You lost your mother, didn't you? I can tell."

Without looking up, he nodded. By then her tone had mostly returned to normal, her gaze filled with worry now.

"Was it Man, too?" He shook his head. He took a deep breath, muttering a single word as if it took him a huge effort to say it:

"Wolves."

A heavy silence hung over the two deer shortly after. Because there was no need for words by then.

The very memory still haunted Eurig — any sign of Man, be it a snare or His dogs, and she'd run off no matter what. That's what happened on the day she met Bruno, that's what happened when Bran got caught in a trap. The thought of a younger deer going through a similar loss as well pained her. Did... Did he watch his mother die as well, or did he flee and never look back?

Would he be frightened when he heard howls in the distance? Freezing in place as his eyes met those of a starved wolf? She didn't know, and didn't want to think of it. Upon that brief clarity of mind, she realized just how small and scared Bruno looked, unable to look her in the eye.

What had she done?

"O-oh, forgive me! I didn't mean to upset you!" Eurig stepped closer and gave the fawn a little nudge with her muzzle — it wouldn't fix anything, but such a gesture was better than nothing, she supposed. "Let's, um, let's just leave this whole talk behind, okay? It's not good clinging to the past like that, right?"

"You sure?" Bruno finally spoke up.

"Why wouldn't I be? It's best to leave it all behind and look ahead, or else we'd never move forward with our lives. Wouldn't it be best to just not think too much about your feelings, and do what's best for others?" She said in a reassuring tone, in spite of her real thoughts on the matter. But what else could she say? Eurig had no idea how to reassure other deer, let alone a fawn a year younger than her.

"I guess you're right. Would a Great Prince do the same thing?" Gradually any previous dread he felt was being replaced by curiosity.

"If it meant he'd be able to protect the Forest, then surely. I think that's what parents do too. Pushing away their fear to defend their children." That's what the yearling believed anyway. Was it true, though? She wasn't quite certain.

"I see. Mother must've been like that too... Thank you Eurig, I won't forget that!" He smiled at her, which she reluctantly returned. Did she do the right thing? Was it okay to just leave it like that? To simply... Not think about the past? She decided to follow through, and do what she was supposed to do upon coming up to Bruno.

"Hey, Bruno, I've been meaning to ask something. About your aunt. Sorry for how I'll sound, but is she really your aunt?" He tilted his head before replying:

"Oh, that. Not at all, she was Mother's friend! She hates when others are staring, and... I don't really like it either. Always grumpy-looking, but I don't think she's bad. Why do you ask?"

"Well, you know, I think I've seen her in the meadow before, used to see her sometimes. I think there's a reason why other deer stared at her." With her words piquing his interest, he moved a little closer as if being told a secret. "I believe she used to be—"

Any further elaboration was interrupted by voices in the distance, with a brown rabbit appearing from behind a bush and diverging Bruno's attention.

"Oy, both of ya! Comin' through to say that fella Bran's been callin' ya!" And just as quickly as she came, Eike turned back and disappeared into the leaves. Without thinking twice, Bruno went towards the source of the voices — most likely Bran, Corin and Aydan goofing around as usual — with a smile on his face, his brown eyes shining with glee.

Eurig, meanwhile, stood there for a little longer in silence. Pondering.

For a Young Prince like him, to accept her words with little questioning... Did he already share that belief beforehand, on his own terms? Or did his caretaker teach him that?

The yearling couldn't help but think of her other suspicions, the one regarding "aunt" Nettla herself, regarding her origin and the like. She originally thought of asking further if Bruno knew who the old doe used to be, but ultimately decided against it. A better outcome, anyway. Maybe the yearling could ask Bruno later about it... Or he could ask Nettla himself eventually. Who knows? Nobody knew what the future held for either of them...

Pushing these thoughts aside, she went after the fawn, expecting her brother to either brag about his antlers or needing help from untangling them from branches again. Typical either way, but deep down she didn't mind.

Whatever little time they had left to spend together as siblings, she'd cherish it forever.


Somewhere else, as the clouds hid away the last bits of sunlight and many reddish-brown leaves were swept away by the wind, a crow was perched on a branch — carefully watching a pack of wolves making its way through the nearest mountain and into the woods...