As I Came of Age

Term

Takeshi peered up into the trees above him. It had been foggy for days on end, and he enjoyed every second he had of it. The gray mist covered him in a blanket of wonder, and excitement, especially when his father sifted through the mist with his heavy frame and pround gait. The fog was no match for him Takeshi thought. Soon, I will be just like him.

The soft fur atop his head was growing stiffer, and two bumps appeared only a few days ago. Takeshi had been rubbing his head on every rock, tree and stump that came into view, trying to hurry up the proccess of growing antlers, his heart fluttered with the idea. His fur was growing darker, and began taking on a hint of dark blue, and he could make out a few yellow stripes at random places on his pelt. This would form the pattern his father had, the skeleton.

His eyes had taken on their sepearte colors. He is getting older by the second, he reminded himself; and began to distance himself from stangers and become a bit more firm with what he believed in.

Girls needed help a lot.

You didn't always have to help them.

His father was always right.

He was going to be just like him.

And of course,

he was going to make sure everyone knew this was his forest.

As takeshi peered into the mist-covered trees, he could make out the form of an owl, who hooted casually at the young stag. He wrinkled his nose and mooed twice as loud to it. The owl hooted back. This game went on for a good few minutes until he heard a voice behind him.

"Takeshi," he snapped his head around to find his father.

"Poppa!" he chirped, and cleared his throat, turning away from the tree with the owl. He brought his legs close together, arched his neck back and turned his face up. A stance, he had often see his father use.

"I have buisness to attend to elsewhere, and I will be gone most of the day. Find your mother at the ruins, I will see you both later tonight."

Takeshi hung his head, and brought his face to his father's chest.

"Alright poppa--" he whimpered, his idol, was leaving him for the rest of the day. He might has well have said 'I'm never coming back', a minute was like an hour, and an hour was like a day to Takeshi, when his father dissappeared. Wesker took one step back, and then looked down at Takeshi.

"You need to be strong, Takeshi. Take care of your mother, while I'm gone."

"Alright..." Takeshi mumbled and hurried over to the ruins.

Wesker watched as he saw his son dissappear into the fog far ahead.

"Takeshi!" his mother called not too far ahead, he could see her familiar blue pelt and arched antlers in the dim light. "Come over here, there's someone I want you to meet." Takeshi's ears prinked and his light step lead him to his mother. A bold male fawn stepped out from behind her.

"Hey, I'm Term." the fawn said, his voice was lower than Takeshi's and this made him equal if not more respectable than Takeshi, and this made Takeshi mad, right off the bat.

"I'm Takeshi, and this is my mom. My dad Wesker went away on bizz-i-ness today." The fawn tried to make himself look larger than his dark fluff would allow, and the other fawn didn't seem theatened by Takeshi in the least. He was already a little bit larger than Takeshi to begin with.

"You two, play nice I'll be right back." Kaoori chirped and trotted off into the mist. Term and Takeshi stared at eachother for a good long time.

"So, how old are you?" the other fawn asked, walking a bit closer. Takeshi put his ears back.

"Eighteen days old... you?"

"I'm just a few days until a month." The other fawn boasted, and Takeshi almost let his emotions get the better of him. He snorted.

"Bet my dad could beat up yours." Takeshi said.

"Oh yeah?!"

"YEAH!"

"Proove it!"

Takeshi ran forward with his head down, and his neck stiff. He could feel his legs pulling him closer and closer to the other fawn, and then his head hit a hard surface. The other fawn's head was down too, and his horns were just peeking through. Takeshi felt his legs bukle but he didn't give up. They grunted and puched and shoved and slipped on the ground. Kaoori returned.

"Takeshi! Stop!" Takeshi immeadiatly perked his head up, and looked at his mother. Term brought him to the ground with one push, Takeshi rolled himself back onto his legs and then went after him again. Term laughed as the fighting continued, then Takeshi laughed, and then it became a play-fight. Each one made a silly face to enhance their fighting ability, and to disarm the opponet with a fit of giggles.

"We're equal!" Takeshi finally said in an attempt to stop the game, but of course, to make it a tie. Kaoori stood over both of them.

"Alright... alright now you two." Kaoori cooed and then sat beside them.

Takeshi drifted off to sleep.

....

....

....

Osias

"Takeshi!!" it was the voice of his mother. Takeshi woke with a start, his vision was blurred until he blinked several times and stood on his ever-growing legs. "Takeshi, go to the Crying Idol, I'll be right behind you, GO!" Term looked around for a moment. Takeshi wondered what could be the matter, and by his mothers voice the entire forest could have been on fire. Term came up beside him, and they ran a good distance and then Takeshi looked back. A massive white, black and red stag was walking slowly towards his mother.

He remembered this stag from his nightmares, was it only a dream the last time he had saw him...? Either way, Takeshi knew he was dangerouns. Underneath a cracked smiling mask, blood and flies dwelled, and both escaped from the mask frequently. Takeshi remembered the large red antlers... he had remembered them as horrible bat wings before today.

"Cmeon on Takeshi, lets help your mom!" Term said in an encouraging voice. Takeshi was convinced. They both barreled forward in a flurry of small beating hooves and fawn-moos.

"Get away from her!" Takeshi taunted and hissed. Term kicked small rocks at the large beast. One flew through the air, and landed directly on Osias' mask. A small piece fell off. Osias turned his attention to the fawns now, and they ran. His mother called out words in Japanese and commanded Takeshi and Term to run.

They reached the idol, and collapsed in a heap of fawn-fur and laughs.

"That was awesome!" Term said.

"Y-Yeah!" Takeshi called out and then looked at his mother who was breathing heavily and was in no way entertained. Takeshi knew he was supposed to run when his mother said to. But he was convinced it was by their risk, his mom was alive. Term stood and they started another play fight, and not too soon later they found the crying idol a good opponet. They could make him cry after all.

They fell asleep again.

But Takeshi slept with one eye open, waking himself up every ten minutes to always find his mom watching protectively over them, and peering through the fog in the direction of the ruins.

After Takeshi decided he couldn't sleep anymore, he stood next to his mom and listened.

He was coming.

"Takeshi run." his mother said sternly and he did. He ran to the most distant thing he could see. A tall bush about two hundred feet away. Wait-- Term!! He spun around and slid on the dirt coming back to the area where is good friend slept.

"Term, Term!!" Takeshi called out. The monster was already so close. His gait was slow, but the creature's legs were very long, so he covered a lot of distance quickly.

"Takeshi!!! Get out of here, now!!"

"T-Term! Wake up!!"

Takeshi began to weep, and Term didn't wake up. He ran.

As he watched from a distance, Kaoori tried to fend off the great demon, who brushed against her fur, and that sent her running briskly back to her son. Her attempts were wasted, Term was a very heavy sleeper. "I can't Takeshi, your friend will be alright."

Takeshi buried his face in the grass, and covered his face in dirt trying to hide his tears from his mom. He had to be strong. His poppa told him to. He couldn't let him mom know he was weak.

"N-No he w-wont momma, I have to help him!" He began to run out of the bush again, but his mother caught him and pulled him back to the bush.

"No."

Takeshi wept again, and watched as the great white beast sat beside his friend. He could hear Osias speaking softly to him, although he could not hear what he was saying.

Out of the fog came a blue stag, with fan antlers and a skull mask. Osias stood and put some distance between himself and Term. The stag held his ground against the creature, and called out several times. There was hope. "Takeshi stay here!" his mother said sternly, and ran to the stag. She stood next to him and held her ground as well. Term began to wake, and Takeshi's heart thumped.

"Term Term, over here come on!" Takeshi ran to him, and lead him back to the bush.

Term yawned.

"You sleep hard!!" Takeshi exclaimed and nuzzled his friend with a laugh.

His mother came trotting back, and the other two stags had dissappeared in the fog. Takeshi blinked, and thanked the blue stag silently for his friend.

He was learning the lessons of fawn-hood, just before he was about to become a stag.

It meant running a lot.

There were lots of rules.

And Takeshi didn't like it.

Tell Me What?

Takeshi's face was covered in dirt and the rivers of tears had long since dried since Term had come back. Everything was back as it should be. He felt so strong.

"Takeshi, when I say run, you run, and you do not look back." His mom spoke strongly, and Takeshi looked down and nodded. Term looked away, but gave Takeshi an apologetic glance. "Osias doesn't hurt deer the way you may think--... it's just... let not tell you father about this."

"Tell me what?"

Takeshi, Kaoori and Term all jumped and spun around. Takeshi's heart sank rock bottom. Kaoori stuttered.

"Wesker! I was.. just telling Takeshi...." her words fell to silence. After a few more second, Wesker stepped forward, not sure who to confront.

"What... happened?"

"... I try to wake Term from big smiling deer... and well. I not run when mom told me to." He said, his face still covered in dirt, when he was aware of it he began rubbing his face on one of his furry legs. It didn't work.

"That deer's name is Osias Takeshi. Stay away from him. And when your mother, or I tell you to run, you do it." Takeshi nodded, and looked into his father's eyes for some sort of assurance he wasn't mad. He found none. The rest of the night was spent in silence, Takeshi knew he was in trouble.