The Kiritsune Fawn

He wakes at dawn to tend his beloved Nikyak, Torra and then by noon he'd practice with his shifter stone. When dusk rolls around, he'd make dinner and head back to bed. Another usual day for Aries, that is, if he actually did do all of those. For today, he feels a little too bored with the usual daily routine that he had snuck out and head to the forest edges of Orilon. Aries knows full well he's going to get a stern lecture from Tej but he doesn't care. It's a good day to explore then for it to be wasted on the same, old boring routine.

With his flute on his hand, Aries followed the river stream to wherever it will lead him. He listens to the chitter chatter of the birds and played a long to their tunes. It's as if he's answering them back, for every tweet comes a flute and they'd return it with another tweet. It was Aries's favourite pas time and it looks like it's beginning to be someone else's favourite too. Unknown to the fluffy pink woolyne, a pair of golden eyes were following his every hoofstep and joining in from the shadows on his little flute parade.

A fork in the river had Aries left the area to a clearing surrounded with pine trees and berry shrubs. It was the perfect spot to take a nap. Aries mentally noted where the clearing is in his head so he could bring Torra to the area. He just knows that his little Nikyak would just love to graze the grass in the area. Aries knocked on some of the tree barks and played a soft jingle. It's his way of making his presence known to the creatures and critters that resides in the area that he means no harm at all. It's also because he read somewhere that it would make his presence known to any spooky spirits that he's just a little woolyne not searching forany trouble. A silly superstition but with Aries being a scaredy-cat, there's no harm in doing it. The subtle sun light shined through the thick tree tops. Warm and soft, Aries starts to feel sleepy. How could he not, when the clearing was just so comforting. With his back on a tree and his flute by his side, he dozed off to sleep.

Who knows how long he had slept in that clearing. Though the sun was warm still, it no longer shined above his head. "I should probably head back," thought Aries to himself. He patted the ground beside him only to find his flute missing. Aries jumps to his feet. His flute is gone. He lost his flute. The flute that belongs to him is missing. Flute. Not there.

Panic rises up as he searched for his flute. Could he have accidentally pushed his flute away while he was asleep? He rummaged through the berry bushes around him when he found a small critter, as tall as his thighs he assumes, gnawing on some oddly straight stick. Upon further inspection, it had a blue ribbon tied to the end of it. That's his flute!

"Hey!" He shouted, scaring the creature to jump and face him. It still had Aries's flute in it's mouth. "Give me back my flute!" demanded the fluffy woolyne. Being a wild creature, of course it didn't listen to Aries's words. It's skinny little legs stood it's ground even though they were visibly shaking. Aries sighed. He knows better than to rise his temper to a critter. "...Hey buddy," he crouched down, making himself look smaller, "sorry to scare ya like that."

Aries inched closer slowly, but stops at a distance when he sees the critter steeled. "Could ya please give me back my flute?" He said, as softly as he could. He slowly offered his hand. It looked at him warily but stepped forward with caution, sniffing Aries's paw. Aries moved his other hand to try and grab his flute but the creature spots him and backed away again with his flute.

"Hey!" Aries got up and tried to snatch it quick, but the creature dodged him. They ended up in a silly roundabout chases for a minute until Aries trips and fell on to the grass. He was trying his hardest to catch his breath when in the corner of his eye, he sees the creature nibbling on his flute. Odd enough, it was nibbling on the same place one would blow the flute to play a tune.

Aries sat up, "Are you... Trying to play the flute?" A silly thought for the woolyne but it seem to be true. The little critter looks at Aries with their big golden eyes, expecting him to teach it. Now Aries is just confused. He must be hallucinating if he thinks this critter could understand him. 

But now that Aries is looking at the fella up close, he sees that it's not like any other creature he has seen in the forest. It had a coat like a fox, yet baby deer spots on their back. Little hoofs and a horn on their head. There was something very magical about the creature but Aries couldn't pin point what it is. He tried to remember where he has read up about the critter when it butts it's head on Aries and dropped his flute on his lap.

Confused and very muchly creeped out a bit, he picked up his flute, wiping it clean before playing a happy little tune. The creature stood in awe and then neighed (or is it more of a yip? Aries is unsure) along to the tune. Aries can't belive his ears. This lil fella is singing along to his jingles. With such an enthusiastic audience, Aries danced with the creature too. 

The sun starts to set and the forests gets darker and darker. Aries stopped his flute playing, "Well it has been fun little one, but it's time for me to leave." Aries brushed off any dirt that's on his wool and waved goodbye to the creature. It stood there, tilting his head as it stared at Aries walking away.

When Aries reached back to the fork in the river, he hears the soft footsteps on grass. He turned to see his little hooved friend following him, a distance away. Aries awkardly shoos it away but it just nodded it's head in the same motion of his hands. "What? Are you just going to follow me then?" Aries asked, a bit of a mocking tease tone in his question. His little friend moved closer. Its big ol' eyes looking at Aries pleading. "Oh no, I'm not going to bring you back with me."

The door to Tej's place was slammed open and Tej was surprised. Aries barges in with his little hooved friend in his arms, "Hey Tej get a load of this little fella!"