Shocking Revelations

Léithe
She needed to clear her head.  A run would do, that always helped.  She had two fawns, she didn’t have any idea what she was thinking.  Two fawns, a year apart.  She shook her head.  She loved her babies, her babies that weren’t exactly babies anymore, but she hadn’t had much time for herself.  Her oldest was now becoming more independence, nearly two years old, her son.  The youngest, almost a year and weaned.  They still needed her but at least now she could take a moment to herself when she needed it.

Pressure around the herd wasn’t in high alert, at least for the moment.  A few of the other does had told her they would keep an eye on her filly.  The colt didn’t really need it but they would make sure he didn’t get in any trouble.  She stretched her stiff legs and started at an average pace. She trotted down her usual trail, bounding over a small stream and down across the beach.  Shifting into a more even gallop it wasn’t long before she was nearly out of the safety of the point.  She stopped, trying to catch her breath.  More out of shape then she originally thought, she panted and huffed with exhaustion.   Nearly catching her breath, the sun had begun to fall from the sky and then she heard someone clear their throat behind her.  She whipped her body around in a flash.  Before her stood a tall, well-built roan stag.  She said nothing at first, deciding how she wanted to play this.  She was too far from the herd to call for help.  She wouldn’t be able to fight him, even if she were any good at it, he was much larger than she was.  She could use her magic, perhaps blind him with the sand below their feet and run as fast as she could.  Surely she could outrun him even if she wasn’t in the best shape.  She finally decided to keep calm and be polite, if it turned bad she could use her magic and run for the point.

“Hello.  I am Léit…”  She started but was cut off by his words.  

Fox
It had been raining the last time he’d seen her, all those years ago. Even from a distance, Fox had known the little filly would grow to be beautiful. But her beauty was not what he was after - it was not why he had come. He needed an in with the Point, and his tenuous connection to this doe was his only sliver of hope.

Just out of sight, he paced her as she ran, his eyes moving over the lines of her body and the shifting of her muscles. She still held the roundness of a fresh mother, but Fox knew it would burn away quickly once she was done nursing. When the doe paused to catch her breath, Fox stole into the open. He squared himself up and cleared his throat.

He startled her, and was pleased. The doe hesitated, possibly teetering on a razor edge between fear and curiosity, before speaking.

Hello.  I am Léit…

“I know who you are.” he stated simply, tilting his head to one side as he studied her up close for the first time. The sun caught the sharp edge of his single-tine horn.

“I will do you no harm… if you listen to me carefully.” With the grace of a confident and lazy predator, Fox angled himself between her and the direction of the Point herd. He seemed relaxed - not exactly friendly, but certainly not threatening. But like a cat napping near a flock of birds, it was clear he was still prepared if some little bird happened to get too close.

“I need something,” he continued, his eyes hard on Léithe’s face, “and I think you could help me.”

Léithe
“I know who you are.” The large stag said simply, tilting his head to the side, studying her.  He knows who I am? She thought to herself.  It wasn’t as if she were Étaín, or even Ket.  They were known, they were leaders.  What was she?  Just a simple doe, pretty much useless in the Point due to her lack of fighting skills.  What could she do?  Watch babies while the better does in the herd practiced their abilities.  Maybe he knew Jeet, or even Tor.  Those were the only stags she really knew that would have mentioned her.  

The stag moved himself around her, positioning himself between her and the point.  She swallowed hard, unsure what to think of this strangely familiar stag.  She felt as though she knew who he was, but couldn’t place him.  Finally he spoke again, “I will do you no harm… if you listen to me carefully.”  

She took in a deep breath, unsure if his words were a warning to do what she was told.  Her mind raced at what this stag could possibly want with her and if she would be willing to do what he asked.  She could not help but think the worst. “I need something and I think you could help me,” he said looking her hard in the eye.

She tried to keep her voice calm, worry free, even though she was terrified of what he could possible want, “You said you know who I am?” She paused, “I do not remember meeting you and what could I possibly help you with?  I am of no importance.”  

Fox
“I knew somebody who, I believe, was very important to you.” He chose his words carefully, his gaze searching Léithe’s face to gauge her reaction. To gauge how far he could push without sending her running.

“I don’t need you to do much,” he continued, “Simply live your life in the Point. Be yourself, be happy. All I ask of you is that you meet me when I need you, and answers any questions I have.” His voice now was gentle; hopeful without pleading. He knew she’d probably grasp the full gravity of what he was asking of her, and waited with a stern but open expression for her to either spit in his face or... consider his offer.


Léithe
He knew someone who was important to her?  Étain or Ket?  They were the only once of importance besides her children- and her mother but she had been gone for years.  She wanted to run back to the safety of the herd but he continued to blocked her path.  Then again her curiosity got the better of her, part of her wanted to hear what he had to say.  Who he knew and how… she had to know.

"I don’t need you to do much.  Simply live your life in the Point.  Be yourself, be happy.  All I ask of you is that you meet me when I need you, and answer any question I have."

Simply live her life in the Point.  To be happy.  She raised an eyebrow.   Why would he want her to be happy?

“And if I don’t?”  She raised her head to look taller.  “I mean, I do not know who you are.  Why would I want to help you?  My leader - my mother - wouldn’t like my giving of information to some stranger.  And a stag none the less.  Why should I go against my family for someone I just met?”  

She thought for a moment.  He could force her to talk.  Threaten to hurt her, even kill her.  She didn’t care.  She wouldn’t betray them, “I won’t take threats of violence.  If you are going to hurt me.  You might as well do it.”

Fox
The ghost of a smile haunted Fox’s lips, sad and smug mixed together in a surprisingly intimate way.

“I’m family, too.”

He could see the way Láthair’s blood had shaped this doe’s body, how she’d given her daughter her delicate face and expressive eyes. But he could see himself in her, too. The determined way she set her jaw when she was trying to be brave seemed almost a reflection of his own habit.

“I won’t hurt you. But I have information you may be willing to trade for.”

He stepped closer to her as slowly and carefully as though her were approaching a skittish bird.

“I knew your mother,” he said softly, “Because I’m your father.”

Word Count
Total: 1389
Léithe: 873
Fox: 516