Renewing Friendships

Featuring Rogue and Amadán
Reptar Mentions of Floki

Autumn, Y765 of the New Age

Oakfern Caverns

Amadán

Most  days, he considered silence a blessing. In the deep tunnels, it wasn’t  at all hard to find, really. Solitude was not elusive to those who  sought it out, and as of late, he’d embraced that wholeheartedly. But  for the moment, he wanted nothing to do with it, nor the silence that  came with it. He wanted anything but.

Amadán followed  his senses to the nearest pool of water as he tried to shake off the  remnants of a nightmare that had ripped him from his sleep. His head was  still drowsy and his throat was dry. With a shiver, he hoped a quick  drink would not only soothe his throat but his mind as well.

Rogue

Rogue was at the water's edge talking to a now two year old Grulla colored colt with red glowing paint. She  was giving him the basic lesson on water maic. Something easy that a  two year old could understand. Mostly the connection oakferns had with  the water and moon. The tired was clear in her voice, but it was still  just as soft and sweet. She heard others hoofsteps coming up to the  water and looked over to see who it was. 

Floki had  wanted her to talk to more fawnling be nosy and find out information for  him. This would require her to break out of her shell and not be so  shy. She dreaded that but took a deep breath and watched the other  fawnling then paused a moment, his paint looked so familiar. She thought  a moment and then it hit her.. She remembered the literal collision she  had with him so long ago. “Amadán… is.. Is that you?” she asked softly  but loud enough for him to hear her. She was worried he had changed too  and almost was afraid of his reply. 

Amadán

Still  not fully aware of his surroundings, the faint sound of voices almost  entirely dodged his notice. It wasn’t until he reached the water’s edge  and heard his name called that he reacted, snapping his nose up from the  cold surface. He’d heard that hesitant voice before. Anxiously he  blinked, and looked closer to the other side of the pool. Ah, a doe and a  fawn.

“...Y-yes?” he answered uncertainly at first,  as he recognized her paint instantly, but considered he was still  dreaming; he was still a bit groggy. Besides, he hadn’t seen her in…  well. It felt like ages. But there was no mistaking her. He blinked once  more. “Rogue?”

Rogue

Rogue  took a few steps closer to him then paused. “Yes, it's me… I can't  believe it's you.. It's been ages oh my goodness how have you been?!”  She asked and suddenly couldn't continue her excitement as she quickly  ran up to him. Her fawn bounded after her and looked at the stranger.  Remembering the last one he placed himself between the to and puffed up  his little chest a little. 

Rogue wanted to hug him  and get excited but she didn't, she wanted to hrs him speak, to know he  hadn't changed on her as well. She didn't know what to do if he had. 

Amadán

Seeing  her better as she came closer, she looked just as he remembered her.  How happy she was to see him took him aback, and he felt a pang of guilt  that it had been so long since she’d crossed his mind. He wasn’t sure  how to answer her; his past few years had been spent avoiding others.

“W-well,  uh, I’ve b-been...” Amadán trailed off when he saw the little colt step  in-between him and Rogue protectively, and his apprehensive gaze  softened. “Oh, my. I-I see you have a brave kn-knight keeping g-guard.”

Rogue

Rogue  looked down at her little boy and giggled softly “yes.. This is my son  Reptar… i found him after i lost my own fawn… we needed each other to  prove we weren't so alone.” she smiled softly and sighed a little. She  then looked back up at him and stepped closer wrapping her head and neck  around him gently in a warm happy hug. “It's so good to see you again  Amadán” she said softly. 

Reptar looked up and smiled  then gave Amadán a little glare, it was the whole “i'm watching you  look” but he was happy to see his mamma so happy. 

Amadán

“Oh…!   It’s… i-it’s good to see you a-again too.” His body stiffened at her  embrace. Amadán wasn’t the type for touching in most cases, preferring  to keep to himself, but after a moment of consideration he forced  himself to relax. He felt Reptar’s eyes on him, but he found the fawn’s  watchfulness amusing. What a sweet lad, to be looking out for his  adoptive mother.

“You have a-a son now... It r-really has been a l-long time,” he then remarked. He’d been jerked fully awake by  now, by both shock and relief; she was the last fawnling he’d expected  to come across that night, but he was now pleasantly surprised he had.

Rogue

Rogue  stepped back from the embrace and flushed a little though you couldn’t  see it it could be heard in her voice. “Sorry.. It’s just.. The last  friend i ran in too.. Well he was different.. And to the point it made  my fur stand on end.. But.. he’s not . too bad.. Just a little scarey, i  work for him now.. But i’m so happy to see you didn’t go scary.. And  yes.. It’s been a long time.. So much has happened i would love to tell  you about it.. But.. im sure you don't want to hear about.. My crazy  messed up life…” she said softly and sighed, the excitement quickly  fading to sadness. She looked down at her hooves and then over to  Rpetar. He gave his mother a warm smile and snuggled her softly. 

Amadán

Amadán’s  ears flickered uncertainly, and he felt his brows knit together.  Something felt off here. He didn’t think he was liking the sound of this  so-called friend of Rouge’s. She seemed genuinely worried that Amadán  had turned out “different” like him. Turned “scary.” Red flags were  rising in his mind, as well as questions, but he paced himself.

“Well,  I’d say i-it’s had much more exc-c-citement than mine,” he offered  truthfully, trying to sound light-hearted. “I would love to h-hear more,  r-really. Like about th-this, um, this friend.” Amadán paused and  looked at her more closely. “... W-what kind of work are y-you doing for  him, ex-x-xactly…?”

Rogue

Rogue  sighed and looked down at her hooves again. “Well.. not.. Not a lot..  Just… well i keep his den clean… and.. And don't tell anyone.. But.. i  spy on the others fawnlings for him.. And.. anything else he needs.  Nothing too bad really. But.. he won't tell me what he does with the  information.” she replied softly and sighed. “He said i was useless and  now i have a purpose..” she added even softer. She then reached down to  nuzzled little Reptar some lovingly trying not to cry at the cold  wording of being referred to as useless.

Amadán

Amadán  chewed his lip while he tried to get his thoughts together. It sounded  to him like this fawnling had practically turned Rogue into a personal  servant. Amadán may not have seen Rogue in quite a while but he’d  remembered her as very insecure and submissive, and it was clear enough  that she still was; this “friend” of hers wouldn’t have had a hard time  taking advantage of that.

“Rouge.” Amadán swallowed  and glanced at little Reptar worriedly. “That… th-that sounds like  a-absolute manipul-l-lation to me.” He shook his head in frustration.  “You a-are not useless, b-but you are letting y-yours-self get used.”

Rouge

Rogue  looked back up at him and sighed. “I don't know what else to do Amadán,  even if i am.. At least i have .. a purpose.. Before this… it was just  me and Reptar, in the nest, or wandering around with no reason… and i  get to know the king… kinda.. Floki is his apprentice.. So.. there's  that… but.. What would you have me do Amadán? I have no family, and the  only friends i have… are you and him and till now i had no idea where  you were.. The only stag that paid any attention to me used me.. And i  lost our fawn.. Then later he died anyway… at least Floki wants me ..  for something” She said softly to him and started to cry. Reptar looked  up at his mamma and then over to Amadán and wrinkled his face up in  frustration. He tried so hard to keep his momma happy and now she was  crying. 

Amadán

Amadán cast  his eyes at the water, then took a step back. He didn’t know how to  comfort a sobbing doe, and she was right, he’d never been around like a  proper friend; if anyone lacked a purpose, it was him. Maybe he was  getting involved in something that wasn’t his business...

Then  he looked at Reptar again. The things Rogue said reminded Amadán of his  mother. She’d come to mind the first time he’d met Rogue, but it felt  much more vivid now, with a colt by her side and fear of a stag who  walked all over her. That had been her downfall. He tried to push the  thought aside, but it was the trigger for his response.

“If  you n-need a purpose so much… what about h-him?” His tone was soft,  afraid of upsetting her further, but still stern. “You ch-chose to be  his mother. A m-mother is a fawn’s w-whole world. He needs you. Isn’t  h-h-he a purpose?”

Rogue

Hearing  his words Rogue smiled and looked up at him. “You're right, he is my  purpose now… him and any siblings he may one day possibly have… but..  How do i know i'm even being a good mother to him? My own left me when i  was barely three...before that… she wasn't the best… so i have no  guide, no help.. I just do what i can for him and hope it's what's  best.” she sighed and then reached down to nuzzle Reptar. The colt  smiled and nuzzled his momma back. The love they had was clear and  strong. 

“So Amadán, what’s made you so wise these  days? What have you been up too? And any fawns of your own yet?” she  asked and smiled over at him. 

Amadán

“I  wouldn’t know. I’m n-no doe, and my m-mother wasn’t exactly w-what a  m-mother should’ve b-been e-either,” he replied tentatively, shifting on  his toes. “But I-I think you must be a g-good one, i-if you’re so  c-close.” He meant it. It was obvious to him that they had a strong  bond, and that was something he’d never shared with his mother… but it  looked right.

Amadán’s relief was short-lived when  the subject changed. He straightened up and tried to casually shrug.  “Ahaha, well, y-you know, n-n-nothing, ah, exciting,” he grasped for a  reply. He felt his old tendency to fib coming on, and instead decided to  compromise by just… making the truth sound a little less dull than it  was. “B-been here and there. P-practicing my m-magic a little. O-oh! I  decided I-I want to become a t-t-tutor, so… all the more r-reason to  practice. To g-get there one d-day, I mean.” He cleared his throat  awkwardly as he added, “...And, ah, n-no, I haven’t any f-f-fawns.”

Rogue

Rogue  smiled brighter hearing he was going to be a tutor, “that's amazing  Amadán! I have yet to find a tutor for my magic.. I play with it a  little and try and  teach Reptar what i can but. I'm not very good still  i only know that one trick i taught you” she replied and sighed a  little “hey.. Well i know i'm not a tutor.. But.. maybe we could work on  our magic again sometime? Help each other out a little?” she asked and  smiled over at him. Reptar was happy to see his mamma happy again. 

“And maybe you should think about having a fawn… i think you would make a good father” she added softly and flushed a little. 

Amadán

Amadán  brightened up and nodded, relieved that she didn’t prod further.  Deciding he would train to be a tutor was the only real highlight he  had. The last thing he wanted to do was have to explain why he’d become  so reclusive lately... “Y-yes, I’d really enjoy pr-r-racticing with you  some t-time,” he agreed. He had a hard time motivating himself to  practice at all so having her with him would definitely be more  pleasant.

He felt his face heat up when she brought  up fawns again. “Uhm, t-t-thanks. Maybe one day, j-just not, ah, n-not  quite yet.” Sitting down and looking down at the pool of water, he  chuckled nervously. The idea of that kind of commitment was still a  little overwhelming to him. “I think I-I’d, ah, d-do a better job  t-teaching fawns than r-r-raising them.”

Rogue

“Oh  i don't know.. You haven't tried raising them yet have you? You might  be good at it.. But.. if you would like you can practice with Reptar  here.. Im sure he would love to spend time with someone other than me”  she replied and smiled over at the stag. She then looked down at Reptar  and saw him looking back up at them both. He knew they were talking  about him. 

Amadán

Amadán idly  graced the tip of one hoof over the water’s surface. “Mm, y-yes, well… I  s-suppose I’ll f-find out in the f-future,” he hurriedly said. It  wasn’t the thought of raising a fawn that daunted him, but rather the  thought of being a father, and he shook his head to push the it aside.

Helping  to teach, on the other hand, was more in his comfort zone, and he  looked back up nodded at Rogue’s suggestion. “Oh, certainly,” he  replied, his voice subtly adopting a more gentle tone towards Reptar.  Amadán had missed helping out with fawns, and perhaps practicing with  Rogue’s son would give him a better idea of what being a mentor would be  like. He then asked the little colt amiably, “H-have you done much  m-magic before, Reptar?”

Rogue

Rogue  smiled and watched them both. She loved seeing how he was with Reptar,  it made her feel safe in knowing she could still trust Amadán. He was  probably the only trustworthy friend she still had. 

Reptar  looked up at him and shook his head “i can't do it yet.. But i want to  learn” the colt replied in a cute scruffy little voice.

Rogue smiled he's not quite old enough to get his yet but almost” she replied. 

Amadán

Amadán  nodded to Reptar. “Good. We’ll s-start off easy but it’s more f-fun  when you’re eager to l-learn, I believe.” After adding a friendly wink,  he turned back to Rogue.

“....Hmm, why don't w-we  meet near here a-again next time? My d-den is just down that t-tunnel a  ways, one of th-the hol-l-lows.” He nodded in the general direction.  “Ah, s-speaking of, I… I should get b-back there, I only meant to come  out h-here for a moment, b-b-but… I’m g-glad to have run i-into you.  Truly. I've, ah, I’ve missed h-having you around.” Bumbling as ever, he  still had a hard time meeting her eyes, but he meant it. Seeing Rogue  was a reassuring reminder of life outside his own little bubble.

Rogue

Rogue  smiled and nodded then quickly went up to him for another snuggling  embrace. “You are most very welcome Amadán, anytime you need or wish to  see or talk to me.. Im here. My den is just down that way and Floki’s is  down that way.. “ she replied to him and had pointed both den sights  out. She stepped back and looked down at Reptar. “I suppose we should be  getting back as well. I do really hope to see you again soon though..”  she smiled and looked back up at her friend. 

Amadán

In  his gawky, anxious way, Amadán did what he could to straighten up and  bow his head politely in response. The idea of being alone again wasn’t  as appealing as it usually was, but it was comforting to know it  wouldn’t be forever, and he still had a friend around to look forward to  seeing again.

He turned, then stopped to look over his  shoulder a last time before heading back the way he’d came, in order to  tell her, “S-see you soon.” And that time he was able to bring himself to meet her eyes.