Darkness was arriving fast. The meadow deserted, the sky tinted crimson, the wind howling.
Bruno was running across the meadow, through the tall grass.
His legs hurt, his chest and lungs hurt, his eyes hurt but he had to keep running, he had to...!
There was something chasing him.
Multiple shadows moving as one, clawing the earth as they rushed forward, their bright eyes staring at the fawn with fangs and hunger bared.
Suddenly he stood before a cliff, with only darkness awaiting below. And behind the fawn, the shadows slowly approaching and growling...
There was nowhere else to go. He could no longer stand upright, barely able to catch his breath...
The largest figure suddenly lunged towards Bruno, its maw snapping open wide—
" AH ! "
Jolting awake, the Young Prince's heart was beating wildly as if about to burst his chest open. It took him one long moment to steady his breathing and calm down.
Right... It was just a nightmare. The fawn was still very much alive and safe in the den, Nettla sleeping profoundly beside him. He took a quick glance at the entrance of their home - still dark outside. The forest was mostly dormant, with only the sounds of critters and occasional hoots and wind making any sort of noise.
Just a nightmare. Just a bad dream. There's nothing to worry about. It wasn't real. It wasn't real. Tomorrow was another day and then there would be no reason to remember this dream, let alone a reason to be scared. After all, hasn't his life changed these last few months for the better?
With that in mind, Bruno yawned and shifted a little — leaning just a bit closer to the old doe and several minutes later, he'd fallen asleep again.
He hadn't noticed that the doe had woken up as soon as he'd leaned closer in. Looking at the tired fawn before her, she let out a sigh —he had a nightmare, she supposed— before briefly giving him a little lick on his head, as a way to comfort him in the only way she knew.
With tired eyes, Nettla spared a look at the scenery outside before letting sleep claim her again, hoping the fawn beside her was having the happiest of dreams now.
-The Next Day...-
It was rare to see both Old Nettla and Bruno coming to the meadow — for a plethora of reasons that the Young Prince was starting to understand, more than the ones the doe had previously stated. For one, she hated crowds just as much as she hated the songbirds tweeting about and being all lovey-dovey in spring. That's to say, a lot.
Sounded very similar to how the yearling siblings had described Friend Owl back in summer, didn't it?
It didn't help that some local deer would either talk behind her back or try striking up some small talk, which she outright dismissed. Bruno supposed that with age, deer and animals in general would lose patience to such bothersome conversations. Another reason that he just recently found out: Nettla's appearance usually scared off some small animals and made others curious. It took him a while to realize it.
Her right front leg had faint yet noticeable old scars around it, like she had tangled it in some place with thorns before pulling it out with force. Both her ears had tiny notches as if they were pecked by a bird. Her left thigh had some bits of fur missing and seemed the most "recent", perhaps an attempt to flee a predator.
He had an idea on how she got the last one...
No! No thinking about this now, it won't do any good.
Those weren't just scars, they were the proof of her survival. Many untold stories from an unknown history.
On the day that came right after... Well, after that bad dream, while accompanying her to the meadow, Bruno found himself staring at the old marks on her leg. Perhaps he was so distracted by looking at it, she had taken notice of his curiosity before he could ask anything.
"... Hm, this? I was a yearling back then. A crow got trapped in one of Man's stranger traps and I rescued them. The thing was like a thin yet strong bramble of sorts and my leg got caught in it. Not strong enough to stop me from breaking free, of course!" She recounted the events with such pride in her voice, like it was one of her greatest accomplishments.
"And your ears?" The fawn asked. Her tone quickly shifted to sheer annoyance. Not at the question, thankfully.
"Hmph, the same crow gave these. Ungrateful bird she was, ungrateful!" Rolling her eyes, her ears picked up a sound coming from behind, which Bruno heard too. A sound akin to a caw. She didn't bother looking. "And to this day, she's made a habit of spying on my life. Right... Sybille?"
The source of the noise - the black crow Sybille let out a snicker as she stepped out from the shade of a branch, smugly staring at the deer before her.
"Well well, what can I say? I'm just a curious creature~! And you're the most interesting deer I've met. Doesn't that make it the perfect pair?" As she went on, the bird spotted the Young Prince beside the old doe - those dark, dark eyes as if piercing through him.
Oh, he remembered who that bird was.
"... You're that crow who was annoying that owl, weren't you?" Though his voice trembled a little, he still dared to ask in spite of any discomfort he felt. It earned him an approving nod from the bird.
"Ah, we meet again, lil' Prince. Hope Nature's been treating you well~" The way she had phrased it made Bruno step back. Nettla glared at the bird then started to resume on her tracks towards the meadow; the fawn got the hint and followed her.
"Do us all a favor and get lost, bird. Might as well annoy some owl or groundhog for all I care. Let's leave, Bruno."
Sybille, in turn, only laughed in an obnoxious way.
"Ahahaha! Is that how you treat an old pal? Guess the years have clouded your manners~! Shameful way of treating your messengers and protectors!"
Bruno stopped walking, his curiosity overriding his wariness as he looked back at her. Nettla stopped as well and rolled her eyes, clearly not having it.
"Protectors?" Intrigued by the fawn's question, Sybille hopped from the branch and landed on a rock, meeting him eye to eye.
"Yes, you heard me right. See, Prince, us crows are known for warning the Forest of when danger is near, be it Man or not. I take it you've seen my flock back in summer, on that day you first saw me?" The fawn nodded.
"An arduous job, but important nonetheless, only made easier when there was a Great Prince around." Seeing how the fawn's ears perked up, she continued. "Unfortunately, because the last one is gone, it's become difficult keeping track of everything despite our numbers. Such pity to see an intriguing Prince leave this world."
"You knew him?"
Nettla's ears folded back instantly. She didn't like where this conversation was going...
"Oh, I did. I certainly did." Sybille said, eyes narrowing and smiling, sparing a quick glance at the doe behind Bruno. "And so did your caretaker. She saw him have his life snuffed out, after all!"
The last part made him look back at Nettla, who was scowling at the bird now. Taking sight of this, he remained quiet — whatever patience the doe had been holding onto had quickly dissipated. She stepped towards Sybille, with Bruno moving out of her way. Her grey eyes bore into the crow's dark ones, unflinching.
"I'll only say it once. Leave." Her voice was calm, but the words held such seething bitterness, even Sybille herself didn't dare retort or mock. Instead, she quietly turned around and opened her wings to leave, but not before saying:
"... I was wrong, then. It's still you, after all." Her once grating voice was more solemn now. "I wouldn't expect less from the previous Prince's sister."
And then she took off, once more disappearing into the shadows of the forest.
As soon as the bird was gone, Nettla huffed then turned back to Bruno — eyes partially widened and still processing what just happened, on top of the crow's parting words. He couldn't bring himself to ask, but there was no need.
"... Listen, Bruno." Nettla spoke, now in her normal tone. "I was hoping to wait until you had grown your antlers, but as how things are... It can no longer be that way."
"... What do you mean?" Bruno asked at last as they started walking again, and she responded:
"When we return back home from the meadow... I'll tell you everything. All the things I should've told before, too many an untold story about myself. It was about time you've known."
That evening felt much longer than ever. Bruno and Nettla had already returned from the meadow - the fawn had told her of the many things he and his friends did. Like how he and Bran raced each other, how the two tried sparring only for Bruno to fall backwards on his first attempt at knocking Bran down, how the four deer eventually raced each other while the rodents cheered on... What a day!
Sure, Nettla had quite the day too. She overheard some meddling deer talking about her from a distance — one glare and a warning, and they quickly scurried away. Good riddance. The doe listened to each and everything the Young Prince told her, his enthusiasm filling her with pride. Of course, she soon remembered what she had promised once they both got back to the den.
Her untold stories about herself. The unknown history behind Old Nettla.
As much as she could, she'd tell him.
As Bruno rambled on, he was caught unaware when she interrupted him, her familiar stern eyes looking at him.
"Bruno." He stopped, quite shocked to see her looking at him like that. "Perhaps it's time we've had a talk, as I had promised today earlier. But first, let me ask you:
Do you know why all young bucks are called Young Princes?"
Bruno shook his head, listening intently to her words and not saying anything.
"See, such a title was only reserved for the children of a Great Prince. However, due to the last one being gone and not leaving heirs, all newborn male deer are referred to as Young Princes in hopes that at least one would grow to become a Great Prince. It's been that way for two years now..."
"Really?! Wow... You really know everything about them!" The fawn was in awe at her explanation. All the doe could do was sigh.
"More than you imagine, Bruno. Remember what... That bird told you before?"
"I guess? About you having met the last Great Prince?" She gave a solemn nod. Taking a deep breath, she at last said:
"More than having met him... I was his sister."
Bruno's ears went up and his eyes widened - did he hear it right?!
"Yes, I mean it. Karus, my older twin. Being the next protector and ruler of the forest meant he had everyone's attention wherever he went, and he relished in it. Hm, even as an adult Karus appreciated the praise, if a little too much. He was confident that he could defeat any danger Nature had in store."
She spoke so casually of her past, Bruno couldn't help but laugh at that last part. He imagined Bran and Karus getting along fine. Or becoming rivals right away. Regardless, she continued:
"I won't lie, although he was next in line I insisted on receiving the same training as my brother. Of course Father pushed me aside, not that it would stop me. A doe isn't any more defenseless just because she lacks antlers." She assumed a proud posture to prove her words true. Oh, Bruno had no way to doubt it!
But just as quickly, her mood soured. By then she was no longer looking at the fawn.
"Then when came of age. It turned out he was... "unlucky"." She had thought of saying "barren" but the word still stung to say out loud, and it was unlikely that Bruno knew the meaning.
"Unlucky? How come?" His awe turned to confusion.
"He could never become a father. Same as I, who could never become a mother." She explained in simpler terms for the fawn to understand. And he did, any confusion prior giving way to silent understanding and a saddened look.
"I could get by with raising abandoned children until they were older. Karus... He didn't have the same chance, and he was too proud to take a young buck in. Besides, doing so would go against tradition."
Right, tradition. That's what Eurig told Bruno the other day.
"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." He remembered the young doe's words. He was now starting to understand what it meant...
"... In the end, it was his overconfidence that led to his downfall." Taking another breath, she told everything.
"A rival stag challenged Karus for the title of ruler one day, and he accepted. Both started a duel while many deer watched, including myself. Everyone was so focused on the event, we failed to realize Man was in the woods. Only when the crows appeared that the duel stopped."
"The other stag did try running away, but in the end couldn't make it. Everyone but Karus fled. I urged him to run, but he instead went after Man's location. He claimed he could defeat Him once and for all." Her grey eyes grew more and more somber, her voice subtly shaky as she uttered the next thing:
"Those were his last words, the very last thing he said before he was... Gone."
Bruno gave a silent gasp and looked down, unsure of what to say or do. Heedless of his reaction, she looked to the side, looking into the distance.
"With his death, the forest fell in mourning, and I disappeared into the shadows. I didn't need others to try and console me, I just... Wanted to be left alone. I wanted to-"
"To leave the past in the past, and never look behind. Only ahead." He mumbled out loud, catching his caretaker off-guard. Only then he realized he actually said it out loud! Oh, what had he done?!
His head quickly shot up so he could apologize for interrupting, only to find himself being nuzzled by the old doe.
That gesture... Nettla never did this before, not to him... It felt so strange yet so familiar. It was so sudden, he was too stunned to reciprocate it, instead just letting her continue. Her fur no longer felt soft due to age but that mattered little to both of them.
... When was the last time he was nuzzled like this? Maybe when his mother was still around? When he was a newborn, or when he had just learned to speak, or when he first was introduced to Old Nettla? He... He couldn't recall.
Slowly she pulled away, the once familiar cold gaze now filled with... Warmth? Perhaps a hint of sorrow too? Though her posture remained the same throughout.
"We are far more alike than I could've imagined."
With these words, she walked towards the den, quietly urging him to enter. Just then Bruno saw it's gotten much darker by now, night creeping in faster and faster. With little haste he entered the den, the old doe following right after. This wouldn't be the end of the talk, nor the end of her telling him her history and stories. But for now, they needed rest, so they reached an unspoken agreement to leave it for tomorrow, or perhaps another day.
That night Bruno dreamed of the beautiful clearing he found back in summer, surrounded by hundreds of butterflies, bathed in kind and warm sunlight...
Following that, it was just another couple days of Nettla watching Bruno, another day of him and his friends coming together to share whatever new story they had to tell, another day in which the group was playing and prancing about. It's been a while since Man had last arrived in the woods.
Of course, it didn't mean it was completely safe. Because there was something watching from afar.
A pack of wolves, watching from afar.
Like many shadows moving as one, walking quietly in between the trees, bright eyes looking intently at the herd and other animals in the meadow. It wouldn't be long until their new hunt started...
