By the time daylight fully came into the woods, Ava was already on her feet and doing some effort to accompany her mother. Though the steps were still a little wobbly she was keeping up quite alright.
Along the stroll the fawn kept looking at her surroundings - warm light passing through the leaves and branches, flowers of many colors in full bloom amidst the grass, the many new sounds and smells all around... Plenty of new things to see and learn!
She approached a flower and sniffed it. It smelled nice... And tickled her nose too!
"Ah-choo!" A tiny sneeze escaped her. She rapidly shook her head and blinked a few times, and she stepped away from the flower.
"Already looking around?" Her mother chuckled; Ava only half-understood and just giggled as if nothing happened.
Before long, mother and fawn passed by a rabbit's burrow; while the doe spared but a glance towards it, Ava's attention was quickly snatched and stopped in her tracks. She tried getting a better look into the entrance of the burrow...
A pair of blue eyes stared back, followed by other pairs opening up.
Startled, Ava tumbled backwards as many small fluffy things exited the burrow, landing on her rear; the fluffy things all gathered around the fawn, each with fuzzy tails and long ears, ranging from dark to light brown in color, about six in total.
"Oh Ava, it's alright! They're bunnies, no need to be scared." Her mother stepped closer, beckoning the fawn to get back up, which she did. One of the light brown bunnies, the one with blue eyes, came forward and looked at the doe while the rest looked on in curiosity.
"We're sorry for the scare! Our mommy and daddy left to eat, it's just me and my siblings in here." Then the bunny addressed the fawn with a little smile. "Your name's Ava? That's cute! I'm Amelie! Am the oldest of my siblings!"
"Big sis? Shouldn't we get back in till mama 'n papa get back?"
"Yeah, an' I'm tired..." "Hungry too..."
"Am tired too... Bed was comfy..."
"Hope mama's not gonna take long."
All other five bunnies chimed in, some yawning, others scratching their eyes with their paws. Amelie sighed and shook her head.
"Oh what do I do with all of ya? Let's get back in, c'mon." She motioned them all to hop back inside. "T'was nice meeting you, Ava! Hope we get to see each other again!"
And then Amelie went back into the burrow, leaving Ava and her mother outside.
"Adorable, no?" The doe smiled, walking away from the place as the fawn followed closely behind with little haste. "Maybe you'll get to be friends with them, who knows?"
Friends, huh? Another word Ava couldn't understand its meaning, but it didn't matter right now. Meeting new animals up close was nice! Her maple-red eyes shone with curiosity and very much open to see more new things.
Quails passed by through the grass, some mice appeared to give their "good morning's", and a duo of skunks saying a small "hello" before shyly disappearing into the bushes. Which other critters and animals would come their way now? Who knows?
Later that day...
Friend Owl yawned, stretching his wings as he exited a hole made in a tree, stirring himself awake from his afternoon nap. And quite a nice nap indeed! It was rare for his sleep to go uninterrupted, especially during spring and summer. Oh well. Made for a good change of pace, he supposed.
As he shook his feathers to shake off any sleepiness left in him, he spotted two deer passing by — a doe with a fawn who seemed to be less than one or two days old, yet was prancing around just as lively as any other fawn.
The little one did seem familiar somehow... Oh right! On that morning he had come across her and the mother. He supposed it was time to greet them.
"Ahem, good day!" Friend Owl cleared his throat and landed on a lower branch, and the pair looked at him.
"Ah, hello Friend Owl. How have you been?" The doe asked with a smile, the fawn standing behind while looking up in curiosity.
"Why, it's been fairly peaceful as of late. None of that tweeting nor the cawing fiends, good riddance I say!" The owl gave a little huff, earning a laugh from the doe. Then he looked at the fawn. "Oh, and who's the little one with you?"
"Haha, her name's Ava. Never stops looking around." The doe stepped to the side a little, allowing the bird a better view of the fawn, who tilted her head in wonder as the owl got down from the branch to land upon a rock. She blinked a few times before getting closer to the bird without worries.
It wasn't unusual for the owl to remain up in the trees while talking to other animals, but he'd sometimes prefer to stay on ground level for the smaller fellows, because why not?
"Well isn't this touching~?" A voice came from somewhere in the shade of the trees. A very familiar and very annoying voice.
"Oh not you again!" Friend Owl rolled his eyes in dismay as Sybille the crow emerged from the shadows. Ava's mother went and stood in front of the fawn to cover her from the uninvited guest – an affirmation that the owl wasn't the only one who didn't appreciate the visit.
"Now now, a whole season away, and that's how you welcome me back? I'm so heartbroken, you know..." The crow shook her head in an exaggerated and dramatic manner, clearly a way to further annoy the owl; then proceeded to shift her eyes towards the fawn, a sly smile forming. "And in front of a youngling, no less!"
The doe's expression turned sour, protectively standing over her fawn who had no idea of what was going on. It seemed more than enough to make Sybille drop the attitude and sigh.
"Well, looks like I'm not welcome here. Oh well. Be seeing you on another day, Owl~!" And thus the crow flew away, cawing and cackling into the distance. The whole ordeal, as short as it was, made Friend Owl groan in exasperation before turning to the now calmed down doe. So much for a nice chat...
"Pardon the whole situation, I swear that bird will be the end of me someday." He apologetically shook his head, only to be met with a sympathetic smile from the doe.
"That's alright, Owl. You're not to blame for someone else's attitude, however unpleasant they may be." She spoke as her fawn impatiently looked up and wobbled her way out from below her mother, tripping and falling on the ground in the process. "Oh, be careful Ava!"
"Mah!" Ava didn't seem fazed by the fall at all, just letting out a tiny bleat and tail wagging with little concern, leaving both the mother and Friend Owl chuckling at the scene.
"Well she'll be quite the exploring type, I say!" He warmly claimed with a smile, nodding as he finished the sentence. He then turned around, briefly looking back at the two deer as he unfolded his wings. "Hm, I suppose I must take my leave for today. Have a good day!"
"Same for you, Friend Owl." The doe spoke as the owl took flight and left the scene. On that moment Ava fully got up and gave a little yawn, looking at her mother. "Sleepy? Let's go home for today, then. Come."
"Mah!" The fawn bleated once more, following her mother.
Although sleepy already, this truly was a fun day. Her life in the woods was already on a good start!
On that night...
When everyone had long since fallen asleep, other animals would awake and come out. Such was the life of nocturnal ones, after all. Naturally, life in the woods could be as challenging in the night as it was during the day...
A rabbit found themself stirred awake from some noises outside their home, and quietly left their burrow against their best judgement. It was very dark outside and, save for the crickets singing their songs, it was eerily quiet. There was something weird in the air, a strange scent perhaps? They weren't sure...
The rabbit's ears picked up strange sounds, the same ones that awakened them. The sound of grass being stepped on... Of careful steps upon dirt and rock... A steady and silent breath... A very soft growl...
There was something nearby.
And before the rabbit could properly react, it jumped at them, making the rabbit run into their burrow.
But they weren't safe. They got cornered by the thing, which tore the burrow open.
They had no chance of screaming for help before a maw full of sharp teeth snapped open and-
... Nearby crows overheard the commotion from below, some watching what happened.
A very distinct shape left the destroyed home behind, its resident now limply hanging from the intruder's mouth.
There was a fox on that part of the woods. And the news would soon spread into the night and morning...
