• Soft and silent like the sugary snowflakes that drift downwards outside of the warm little burrow, a tiny red fawn laid curled up against her mother in a dreamless sleep. Her chest was rising and falling incessantly as she took in small amounts of the chilly air. Outside, an owl hooted as he watched the restless spirits emanate and disappear between the trees. Something one may learn from living in this particular forest is that reality is not just the obvious or tangible, but it is yours to fill with beauty, inspiration, and dreams. Reality was really whatever the animals convinced themselves to be true. The light green glow of the souls hummed sweetly. A sound that one may consider beautiful and delicate was actually a dire curse. The soft, silent, almost inaudible noise prevented the animals from dreaming at all, when one goes for so long without dreaming, they may often lose their soul to The Silent and eventually disappear altogether.
    The fawn’s mother lay, eyes drooping lazily, forcing herself to stay awake. The older deer was in her later years, and with the smallest amount of sleep, her soul could escape from beneath her. Finally, with one last dainty yawn, the doe escaped into an everlasting sleep. From the fainting deer, a glowing, humming life force drifted and flickered up and out of the burrow. Despite the mournful hum, despite the pulsing, haunting glow, this soul was different. The hum a little louder, almost a lullaby, the glow a little stronger and instead of the transparent green, it shone in a bright, radiant yellow. The doe’s fervent love for her daughter had caused an even bigger inconvenience than the one already at hand.
    Drowsy and confused, all the animals yawned their way into consciousness. The new passionate spirit kept the animals from falling asleep. The only animal that had seen what had happened was the owl, and everybody knows not to trust an owl. However, they did not need an explanation, they knew she was taken by The Silent. The small fawn whimpered at the sudden chill, and then she noticed her mother was not with her anymore. It’s a horrible thing, having to explain death to something so pure. Not only was the tiny deer left without a mother, but also, none of the animals in the forest could sleep until the mother deer’s spirit was calmed.
    The mother’s soul hummed mercilessly with fear of her baby not lasting the winter. She would not forgive herself for abandoning her daughter and would not rest until she knew the fawn was safe and warm. Unfortunately, by the laws of the forest, no one was allowed to adopt an animal of another species, and they had been the last of the deer clan. And then, when the animals were abandoning all hope, the spirits began to change. Trees, fallen leaves, grass, and even the water now seemed to be alive, possessed by the creatures of later years.
    Several leaves began to stir as well as sticks and vines as they curled up against the fawn, resembling almost perfectly, the tiny deer’s mother. Warmth is easily obtained as a kid that you often end up forgetting how complex things can become. Everything can turn on you, and everything you know can change completely. The luxury of being young is being able to be unaware of change, and accept what life and the spirits offer in innocence.