when through the mist i see the shape of you

 Sleep was restful for what felt like the first time in years. Crux found himself awake early, curled up under the arms of the fiery tree he had claimed as his. He had told Mordecai that for the time being, if he wished to stay under the tree with him, he was welcome to. At least, until they found more wolves and there were more pressing wolves to care for, like pups or vulnerable. Their little group was still small enough that he felt somewhat insecure. They hadn't even explored it thoroughly yet, he felt like. Not enough to be comfortable.

 Still, he rose. If Mordi was near, he was careful not to wake him while he looked about the tiny clearing under the willow tree. Eyes scanned the tree, thick brown trunk rising up and stretching out its long spindly fingers protectively over the hill. A nest was high up in the tree, which Crux found absolutely normal - birds here seemed to be in all stages of their nesting cycles. Evidently, this forest existed in its forever-autumn state before he had arrived. He sighed happily, turning away from the tree to look down the hill, when he noticed something...

+2 Discovery Points

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  There was a feeling of impending doom. Of claws, of fangs, a maternal voice panicked and screaming for him to run. There was a fall, the cool rush of water... darkness. Nothing.

 Slate gray eyes opened against the bright light of the world. The pale shape of a fawn was highlighted by the sunlight and red leaves of the tree above. The young creature felt far too tired to do more about his new surroundings. Were they new? He couldn't really remember much beyond the nightmare he'd just had. Was that a nightmare? Or a memory? It felt so faint but also so real...

 It made his head hurt thinking about it... uughh... The young fawn closed his eyes, wanting to slip back into sleep with the sound of comforting birdsong in his ears. He nearly succeeded until a smell wafted into his nostrils. It was something that woke some instinct in him to run... but he couldn't. He was exhausted and couldn't do more than lift his head to gaze up towards the top of a hill.

 Wolf. The word implanted itself into his mind with a sense of wonder and fear. What would happen now? He couldn't run, he had no energy. He felt like he'd run so, so far and yet he couldn't really remember... Maybe if he just kept still? Yes, that was the next instinct he had. To sit still and perhaps the wolf would just move along.

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 The shape was sheltered there in the soft grass, but the odor was undeniable. Crux glanced around before heading out from his tree-den, slipping carefully towards the hillside and moving down it calmly. He didn't want to spook the little shape, as fragile and tiny as it was. Did deer come to this island often? He scanned the area, eyes trailing around the trees, searching for the shapes of the fawn's mother or herd. No. The shifting forms of leaves above still forms of tree trunk and roots said enough. There was no scent of deer here, other than that of this tiny creature. He quietly circled it, sniffing the ground to continue his investigation.

 Just as he thought, the odor was contained within the child's waking space. He looked at it curiously. Until now, he had believed that while wolves seemed to wake here, it seemed that all other animals were native. Perhaps this wasn't the case, if this fawn had woken in the red wood. Another, more familiar odor hit his nostrils and he blinked. It was afraid. It was awake. It was aware of his presence.

 That fear scent did not awaken the hunger in him he expected. Instead, he felt something unexpected. A desire to protect the thing who was so different from himself but also so similar. Awoken in a strange place with no mother. Dark thoughts crossed his mind, tempting him, and he pushed them aside... for now. Shaking his head clear, he stepped towards it and lowered himself to his belly. “Child of the forest,” he murmured, gentle voice loud enough to be heard and understood by the child, if it were possible. “Do you understand me?” Do you have a soul, having traveled from the beyond?

 Those sly thoughts returned, the voice of his mother in his head: Can you be of use to us?

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 It was clear that the wolf had seen him, clear that he would not be left alone. Although, what would he even do if left alone? He was young and knew nothing of the world around him. He couldn't remember a thing but the faded memory --or dream?-- of when he was asleep. Perhaps it would be better if he was eaten, for then he wouldn't have to worry about trying to figure out what to do on his own. How long did fawns last in the wild without someone to care for them, anyway? Not very long for sure.

 He trembled, fearful, as the speckled wolf came close. Despite himself, he found that he was mesmerized by the spots on the wolf's back. They weren't like the fading dappling on his own body. No, they were different, alien. Was he going to be eaten?

 No fangs were exposed. Instead the wolf lowered himself down onto his belly, unintimidating. He was spoken to and surprisingly, he understood the words. Child of the Forest. Was that what he was called? The fawn blinked his slate gray eyes and nodded his head. Yes, he understood. Was this some sort of test? Unsure what was wanted of him and not wanting to be eaten, he lowered his head down to the earth and peered up with soft gray eyes at the gentle man. He blinked a few times, nose twitching as he sniffed the sharp scent of the predator. He was still afraid but the voice was calming and kind. Perhaps he would be eaten quickly?

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I reallyreallreally wanted to reply back to this ;.;

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 Good, it understood him.

 But how? He was certain he'd never had a conversation with a prey animal before. Could all prey animals understand and simply could not speak the wolf language? Could they speak the same language, though their sounds and movements differed? Either way, something in his heart told him that this child here would not be prey today, or tomorrow, or the next. Not prey for his family, that is. The little deer was terrified - and for good reason! This interaction defied the laws of nature.

 Yet, Nature had already been defied. This woodland was not natural, their waking was not natural. Nature had defied them and Crux had no qualms with defying his nature. He glanced about for a plant or flower to offer to the child as some sort of food. Unlike Mordecai, he wasn't skilled in searching out and finding berries or other food of their prey. He noticed a flourish of colour and rose slowly with a gentle, “Stay or come, I will not harm you.” But please do not flee. He knew how strong the pull of instinct could be and he did not want to risk the spirit of hunt taking over him.

 Regardless of what the child did, he would slowly take a step or two back and turn towards the flowers at the edge of the wood.

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 The small fawn watched the pale wolf intently with large slate eyes. His large ears were folded back, highlighting the small stubs of antlers that had started to grow there. He was curious about this adult wolf. What would happen? It didn't seem likely that he would be eaten, even if the instinct inside of him screamed that he should run. He didn't want to, he could defy that nagging voice. As long as the wolf kept speaking kindly and looking at him in such a warm manner. It made him feel safe despite the fact that he could see the sharp teeth in the other's maw. Subconsciously he ran his tongue around the teeth in his own mouth. They were oh-so-flat. So much different than those. Would he grow teeth like that one day? 


 His head remained on the ground for a moment longer, even as the wolf spoke to him again and rose. His ears twitched upwards, tracking the male just as his eyes did. After a moment, his head raised and his immense curiosity got the better of him. The pale fawn let out a bleat and then he attempted to raise to his slender legs. It felt like he was walking on stilts! The fellow stumbled forward with a small bleat of fear before catching himself awkwardly. His tail raised into the air and he blinked down at his hooves. It felt so strange walking... how long had he been down? 

 No matter. He wanted to see what the wolf was doing! It looked so colorful over there! Defying his very nature, the deer stumbled towards the one creature that he knew in this world. This wolf that had been kind and gentle to him. He ended up going a bit too fast and found himself stumbling right into the soft fur of the male wolf. "Uuf!" He grunted as he peered at the fellow, blinking owlishly before giving an apologetic smile and taking a step back. 

 He then looked down at the colorful flowers, eyes widening hungrily while his stomach let out a growl. He looked back and forth between the flowers and the male wolf as if asking permission before he would eat the things.

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@Hawking

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 Crux felt the child run into him and he turned his head, chuckled with lips carefully closed as far over his teeth as he could. When the fawn smiled apologetically and stepped back, the wolf nodded in return with a gentle smile, stepping to the side for the little creature to breathe in the fresh flower scent.

 The child looked at him for reassurance and he nodded, indicating to the flowers for the little one to eat.

 In the meantime, Crux lay down, his eyes on the child. Here on the little island clearing, it was surprising to find a deer. Although he had already decided what to do, he couldn't stop from thinking about other possibilities. Possibilities the scent trail did not allow. Ignoring that fact, he was also aware that a child this small and uneven on his hooves would be unlikely to cross the stepping stones without falling into the water. The child had not been wet, so he knew it would be impossible for the child to have fallen in and climbed out once reaching the shore of the island.

 “What shall we do with you,” he mused quietly to himself. His voice raised slightly, though it was still gentle and aimed for the child's ears only, “I am Prince Crux and this land is Bleakwood.” It felt so weird to call himself Prince Crux, but something was giving him courage. There was something about their little nest of trees within the island that made him feel secure and he wanted the little deer to feel the same. “I don't know if you can speak... But if you can, do you have a name?”

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 The white wolf nodded him, a silent indicator that he was free to ingest as many flowers as he wanted. The little fawn wiggled his tail happily and wasted no time in rushing forward to plant himself among the flowers. There beneath him was a mixture of white, yellow, and blue flowers. He didn't know the name for them but they were dandelions and windflowers, tasty treats for the young deer. The fragrant smells told him all that he needed to know about their edibility and palatability. The nameless child began to go to town on the flowers, plucking them up with his sensitive lips and swallowing them after they were thoroughly chewed. They were so yummy!

 When the man spoke to him, the child paused briefly to look over at him. Prince Crux? Bleakwood? As he thought the two things his head tilted first one way, then the other. He nodded his head in understanding and dipped back down to eat once more, filling his stomach that he hadn't realized was quite so empty.

 After he'd eaten about all that his gut could handle, he walked back over to the prince's side and lay down next to him. If he was allowed, he would try to curl up into his side. It was tiring work being lost in the forest and now that he was full of food, he felt that he needed to lie down to digest it all. He lifted his head, inhaling a breath as if he was preparing to answer... but then he felt a wave of shyness come over him as he shook his head and tried to hide it. He couldn't remember what his name was or even if he had one. Would the wolf be upset at him? He hadn't been vicious this far, he was quite fatherly. The only parent that the fawn knew at the moment, even if he wouldn't enunciate this thought aloud.

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 The little creature was all too eager to eat the flowers and Crux watched with delight. He had never had the chance to watch prey-creatures up close like this, always too focused on his own eating to care. This time... his own stomach didn't come into question. The child was one of the Forest and would be one of Them. If anyone had anything to say about it, they'd get a cuffing.

 Every time he spoke, the child would look at him and appear to have understanding of what he was saying. After the child ate its fill, it moved over to him and lay against him, curling up in the most adorable fashion. At first, Crux was surprised but his surprise shifted to peace. He listened intently as the child began to - oh, no. It was just a sigh. He let out his own and smiled gently down at the child, even as the child shook his head no. “If you don't have a name, then I'll name you.”

 He considered his fragments of memories surrounding deer. This one before him was evidently male, as he noticed by the buttons of initial antler forming on its head. He suddenly remembered one instance of watching a deer and seeing it snatch a bird out of the sky and swallow it. It had been horrific and interesting all the same, and he looked at the child. “Hawking.” If the child seemed to like the name, Crux would begin to affectionately nuzzle it, occasionally licking at it. 

 Spreading his scent on it. Marking the child so that any who knew Crux's scent would know that it was plastered all over the child. That the child was his and any tooth raised to it would earn the prince's fangs.

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 He would name him? The young cervine perked his large ears forward, eyes wide and curious as he waited to hear what name the other would dub him. He was so very eager to have a moniker of his own. Everything probably had a name, everything except for him.

   Hawking.

 His mouth formed into an "O" as he stared on in awe. Hawking. His expression morphed into a smile then as he nodded his head. Yes! Yes, he liked that name! His little tail was wiggling furiously back and forth while he lifted his head up high with a proud expression. As if to say "Yes, I'm Hawking!". His expression again changed to joy as he laughed and giggled a the licks and muzzles the wolf began to give him. He didn't know the underlying reason and was more than happy to be given affection. He would even attempt to return some of the affection and try to plant a kiss upon his new guardian's cheek before returning his head back down to the other's side.

 He took in one deep breath in and then released it in a content sigh. He hadn't known anything about the world before but now he had a new guardian in the form of a wolf. That instinct within him had all but died down as he knew that no harm would come to him here. He glanced to the side at the white wolf, smiled, and then managed to squeak out. "Pa. Pa Crux." Prince was a more difficult word. But that one wasn't, and it expressed his thoughts better.

 Then, his eyes began to flutter closed against the backdrop of falling red leaves and gently waving flowers.

@Crux

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 The child giggled and squirmed and Crux could not help but laugh as well. He allowed the child's kiss upon his cheek and he smiled down at him, pleased that his name was a hit. Finally, he thought to himself with a chuckle. Finally, one of my names is a success. Ignoring of course Redshift and Blueshift's names.

 The child spoke! The monochromatic wolf was surprised at first but then smiled down at the child, affection clear in his eyes. Hawking was falling asleep, completely content against Crux's form. It was frankly adorable. “Sleep well, little one,” the male murmured, touching his nose to the child's head before resting his own head on his paws, tail sweeping around to curve over the fawn's side. “If you wake before me, stay by my side.” He wasn't about to risk his friends going for Hawking's throat if they met the fawn before he had the chance to introduce him.

 For now, Crux's scent on him would have to do.

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Fin?

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