02. Fern
The Forest Through the Trees02 Fernby Assilsasta(¯·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨·~-.,-(Consternation)-,.-~´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)Sonet stopped as the log cabin came into view, the sight of the stacked, felled trees weighed heavy on her. She thought about how her grandfather had told her of the cabin many times. He explained that it was built from the forest, with the forest, and those that now owned it paid their respects to the fallen brotheren and continued to nurture the ones that still stood. Her eyes were drawn to a strange blue colored box, it reminded her of the carts they had made to help carry compost and things they collected to and from the cottage, but was much larger. She glanced over at the collie girl and asked, "What kind of cart is that?" as she pointed.Smiling softly at the young doe Ariel said, "that's a car, a cart that you don't have to pull.""A car?" she asked, "you mean like those things that grandfather talked about... what did he call it? In turn all camp onion engine?" She thought about it for a moment knowing what she said was not right, "He said they bellow noxious fumes into the air, but the trees use it to make their food and clean it up. He said if people would let more trees grow in town the place would be healthier because everyone take them around, even to places they could easily walk to." Nodding slowly the collie replied, "he was more than right on that, but not everyone uses them as much as they used to for those places they could easily walk to, not all the time at least."Sonet nodded at the clarification as she followed the path to the cabin not far behind Mark. She started to sign only to stop and look back at Ariel again and say, "this place feels sad. Did... did something happen here? I feel the new joy, but there is still so much sadness and pain."Stopping short, the collie looked the young doe in the eyes for a moment, her mind reeling with the thought that the fear, pain, and loss that had haunted Mark for so long was still so strong that the druid girl could feel it so clearly. "Something happened, but not here. Mark... he brought the sadness with him after..." Ariel paused again, uncertain of whether or not she should mention the Bernese boy's past."After they were taken from him," Sonet finished the collie girl's thought as she glanced at the ground. "Some scars never fully heal." She looked up with a smile as she added, "what is passed should be remembered, what is present should be cherished, and what is to come should be sought. I see more joy in the present and flowing into the future." She turned back toward the cabin as she said, "we should get inside before the heavier rains start." As she finished her words Ariel felt the drops of water cascade through the trees with a sudden light downpour.Donovan huffed as Mark lowered him to the ground, "You really didn't need to carry me. My ankle feels fine now," as he winced with the weight being put on it. "Your ankle wasn't the only reason, the rain is coming, and I wanted to say something to you, without Sonet hearing me. We don't have much time before she catches up to us so shut up and listen city boy. Do not assume you know what's best for that girl, not because of her age or the way she was raised. You don't understand her world any more than she does yours, and before you go judging her, her grandfather, or her ways you should try living in that world for a while. You may just find what you're searching for along the way," Mark said as he sat down in one of the rough timber chairs on the front porch, waving a paw at another for the lynx to sit in.As Donovan limped over to the chair he said, "look, I'm sorry about what I said. I guess it was just stupid on my part. I know I don't know anything about her, I only met her yesterday. It's just hard to imagine how she lived or how she plans on continuing. I just feel like I should be doing something, but I don't know what, and what I said is the first thing that came to mind." He looked over at the other teen, not much older than him if at all, "It's really hard to picture not knowing simple things that my younger sisters kewn at three and four years old. There is just so much that its hard to think of how to say things sometimes. But then
there is what she does know. I have to reference my field guide when looking at plants and she just knows and looks at me the same way I think I look at her when I don't know, like... like it's something every preschooler should know or something. Plants, rocks, things I never even thought much about until I set out on my hike." He looked out toward the Jeep Cherokee as Sonet came into view dancing and spinning in the rain, the fur cloak flying up around her as she did. "And... She's so happy and cheerful... everything seems more alive after I met her."Mark sighed as he shook his head, gazing out at the young doe and his wife frolicking in the falling rain. "There is so much that you still have to learn about yourself and the world around you, even more about Sonet and her world if you're going to be part of her life Donovan." Leaning forward, resting his arms on his thighs as he turned to look at the lynx he said, "correct me if I'm wrong. You feel drawn to her like a magnet to steel, but the fact that she is 'only fourteen and just a kid'," the Bernese boy said, emphasizing the words with air quotes, "scares the living crap out of you, doesn't it?"Donovan looked at him, his ice blue eyes as wide as basketballs as he said, "she is just a kid, I'm not some kind of sicko. I.. I just want to help her. I don't know it's like what my dad always told me, 'you always help a girl in need.' But it's not like that. She's like almost four years younger than I am.""Interesting that I mention an attraction and you're the one that jumps straight to the bedroom in your head. Donovan, I mentioned nothing about your intentions towards her, nor did I mention making her your mate. Knowing Sonet though, I would imagine that she made her stance on the subject clear if the situation has arisen." Mark leaned back in the chair as he looked at the lynx thoughtfully. "And that candor probably shocked and scared you. Donovan, you have grown up in a world surrounded by things, technology, convenience, an easy way of doing everything, even if in your mind you've had it hard. She has grown up in a world of simplicity and hard work for everything she has. She loves and cherishes the very things that you, and most of the world for that matter, take for granted every moment of every day. I understand your point just as well as I understand hers, I live in both worlds to some degree. I understand the age difference is a concern for you, it's how you were brought up and more than understandable. But let me ask you this, would you act any differently towards her if she were three or four years older? If that was the only thing different
would it really matter as far as how you have treated her so far?"The lynx looked at Mark as he started to answer, only to see Sonet run to the porch and grab him by both paws. His eyes widened as the now water heavy fur cloak dropped off her shoulders to the wooden planks at her foot-paws. Her hair and fur glistened with the water droplets that collected on her as she had danced. Her golden brown eyes met his as she pulled him from the chair and said, "come, dance with us." The smile and joy on her face rendered him speechless as he followed her into the rain, the pain in his ankle all but forgotten as his paw sank into the soft ground. The world around him blurred as they started to spin paw-in-paw. Her laughter drowning out the sound of the rain as the drops slowly came down harder and larger. He had almost completely forgotten his rain soaked clothes as he watched her dance without a care in the world. He stood in awe of her as she let go of his paws to dance and leap through the rain unhindered or phased by the water or splashing in the puddles.He froze as she did with the first clap of thunder. The sudden change in her brought him back to the moment as the pain of his ankle throbed. He winced as he ran through the rain to her side and grabbed a hold of her paw and said, "come on, let's get out of the rain." Together they ran as well as he could to the porch of the cabin were the other two teens sat and watched.Sonet looked at Mark, the only one dry among them, and smiled while she said, "you missed all the fun," as she shivered with the mild breeze. She turned to Donovan and looked him over in his rain soaked cloths, without hesitation she reached up and started to pull the clothes away from his wet fur only the have him take a step back."What are you doing?" he asked, the sound of shock and confusion clear in his voice.Confused and a little frightened by his actions, Sonet took a step back as she looked at him again. "I.. I was trying to get you out of those wet clothes, you... you'll never get dry like that," she said softly as she tried to figure out what she had done wrong. Looking at the lynx as she shook her head Ariel looked to her husband as she asked, "nudity or age?""Which do you think?" the Bernese boy answered flatly. "Modern good boy with high morals, both of course," he added as he leaned forward in his chair. "You did nothing wrong Sonet, Donovan just... doesn't see things the way you do when it comes to clothes and being nude. In his world it's called being modest to not want others to see you undressed. It's not normal to run around in just your fur to him. "I know that," the young doe said, "but now they're all wet, you need to take them off so your fur can dry out." She looked over at Mark and said, "what do we do? He has to take them off some time, he smells like a wet cat.""Um... I'm right here," Donovan said with a little wave, "I have a fresh change of clothes in my pack if there's someplace I can change.""Oh for heavens sake," Ariel said as she began to strip off her clothing, dropping the wet, dripping garments to the wooden planks. As he rose from the chair his paws going to the hem of his shirt Mark said, "when in Rome," as he also began to undress. "Choice is yours Donovan, stand there dripping all over the floor or go inside and change First door to the right is a half bath. As for the rest of us, how does a nice cup of hot tea sound?"Donovan turned quickly and covered his eyes as the other teens shed their clothes. To his dismay the only image that filled the void was the sight of Sonet prancing through the rain. He felt himself begin to get hard as he tried to push the thought out of his mind. Fully embarrassed by the situation he stammered, "I.. I th.. think I'll just go g.. get changed." As he reached blindly into his pack with is eyes still covered his mind raced with the frightening thought of the group remaining nude when he returned. He peeked through the space in his fingers as he made his way to the door and into the cabin. Once inside he ran to the bathroom and slammed the door behind him. He slumped to the floor with his back to the door as he thought about his situation. He was more concerned with hiding his erection than the fact of being nude, the situation was only made worse by the presence of the two beautiful girls. (¯·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨·~-.,-(Conflict)-,.-~´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)Sonet looked at Mark as she asked, "are all boys like him? I know that most everyone wore clothes when we went to the grove to start." She paused as she looked at the wet fur of her chest. "Is... is it wrong to be nude? I... I remember Grandfather dressing me to come to the grove, but he never made me keep them on."Mark sighed heavily as he said, "where to begin... Not all boys are like him. At least not to the same extent. Most boys are... how do I put this?" the Bernese boy said as he shook his head slowly."Most boys get excited when they see a nude female," Ariel said, attempting to be helpful. "When they get excited like that they, ummm... stick out down there and because of the things their families have taught them they get embarrassed for a girl to see them like that." Pausing a moment, trying to decide the best way to explain it to the young doe, Ariel looked over to Mark, a sudden thought coming to her mind. "Unlike the boys that you used to see at the grove, they have not been around nude females very much, if at all and they can't control what happens. The boys that go to the grove, like Mark are around nude girls more and they don't have the same reaction to it as say... Donovan," the collie continued unsure of what to say next."What Ariel is trying to say Sonet is that most boys don't see females nude very often, and when they do it arouses them. The same thing happens to Donovan when he sees you nude. It's not wrong to be nude, any more than it's wrong to wear clothes most of the time. But to Donovan it's wrong for him to see you nude because you are several years younger than he is, and in some places it's against the rules for that to happen." Sonet fidgeted has the two explained as best they could. She looked over at Ariel as she shyly asked, "Do... do you have any clothes I can wear?" she paused for a moment before adding, "It's... I don't want to make him uncomfortable, and... I don't have any. The last thing Grandfather brought didn't feel right so I never put it on and he didn't bring anything else."Smiling softly at the younger doe, Ariel said, "I think I just might, let's go upstairs and see what we can find while Mark tries to pry Donovan out of that bathroom.""That sounds like a plan, why don't you two ladies head upstairs, I have some shorts in the laundry room still and can grab those, I'll see if I can get Mr. uptight out of the bathroom so he can join us," Mark said with a huge grin on his face.As they walked into the cabin Sonet slowed and looked around, the place was filled with strange things that she couldn't figure out the use for by looking at them. She silently followed the collie girl as she marveled at all the strange boxes and extra furniture spread through the rooms. It seemed like so much more than the two would need or could even use. When they reached the top of the stairs she stopped and asked, "Ariel, who else stays here?"Looking to the doe, seeing the wonder in her eyes Ariel replied, "most of the time just Mark and I. But sometimes friends or family will come to visit and stay for a day or more. Mark's grandfather, who sued to own the land and cabin, had a larger family than Mark's parents.""It... it's just so much... for only two people," Sonet said as she looked over the railing to the space below. "So much space taken, so many trees..." she stopped and looked back to Ariel as she continued, "it feels like so much waste and lose. Like so much more could have been done for the sacrifice." She looked down to the floor as she finished, "but the sacrifice was made so long ago and by others. This should have been given back to the mother."Ariel paused, turning to look at the doe as she held her paw out to the younger girl, "something you and Mark agree on for the most part Sonet. Most people only see the cabin as his ego trip, even though he had nothing to do with it being built. His Grandfather left it to him when he passed through the veil, to do with as he wished when he was old enough. He won't tear it down because it would insult his ancestor to do so to such a gift. So... instead he does what he can to repay the sacrifice three fold in his lifetime."Sonet looked into Ariel's green eyes as she said, "for each day this stands a sapling fails to sprout, a bird has to look for a different place to nest, a fox goes without a den. How can any offering justify the continued sacrifice. This is as much a scar on his land as the memories of those he lost are on his soul. I can't make you or mark do anything, but this place... it
screams at me, It stands out like a monument to the careless, heartless waste of so many for so few." The young doe looked away From the collie girl as she changed tone, "I'm sorry, it's not your burden to bare." "No, it's not," came Mark's voice from the stairs as the Bernese boy walked up behind the two girls, "it's mine to bare. I will tell you Sonet as I tell the rest, I did not create this monster, but I did inherit it from my grandfather. I do not agree with what he has done but neither can I dishonor his wishes by destroying what he gave to me. You have a right to your beliefs and opinions of me just as much as anyone else does. But I am not the heartless monger of waste that you think I am. If I was so heartless this cabin, and every square foot of this property, including your home, would have been dug up, stripped of all life and turned into housing for people who care far less for the mother than even you assume I do. I am not perfect, I am as flawed as anyone alive on this planet. But I do what I can to atone for the sacrifice my grandfather forced upon this land. I keep this land and keep it safe from the paws of those who would tear and rend it to pieces for nothing more than to make money from it. The spot where this cabin sits... yes it is a scar on this land. But that is my burden to live with, just as the scars on my soul are. I can not undo what has been done, undo the damage that has been done to the mother, not here, not in any city or town. I cannot stop what others do to harm her, all I can do is to try to protect a small place where her children can still roam as free as possible for as long as I have before I too pass through the veil. That's all I can do, but I will do it diligently as long as the Goddess gives me breath and the strength to do so."Sonet listened as Mark spoke, the images of what her grandfather had told her of the town in her mind. The miles of land cut from the forest and molded and mangled for the comfort of the few. She shivered as he talked about his effort to keep the same from happening to the place where the cabin stood. The thought of her own home being taken and ravaged, scoured of life. She knew what he said was true, he had not built the cabin, but it still pained her that it stood in place of the living earth. She looked up at him and said, "you have chosen your path, but in the end the Mother will always take back what is hers, in her own time." She pushed past the two as she ran down the stairs and out of the cabin into the storm. Donovan opened the door as Sonet ran past him into the rain. He swiftly turned and looked up at the pair on the balcony that
overlooked the lower floor as he shouted, "what did you do!?" Without waiting for an answer he turned and ran into the rain after her. The lynx limped along as he ran into the downpour shouting her name into the wind. He did his best to shield his eyes from the rain as he looked for the young doe husky hybrid. His mind raced as he worried about what might happen to her. He thought about how irrational he was being as he chased down the fleeing girl. Donovan had left everything he owned behind on a stranger's doorstep as he chased the doe into the forest. The bernese boy had told him she was better able to live in the forest than he was, but he still needed to find her, make sure she was okay. He couldn't imagine what might have caused her to run from the cabin. She seemed so happy and rooted among people that thought the same way she did.After what seemed like hours in the storm he caught sight of the young doe barely visible in the hollow of a tree, her knees pulled up to her chest and her face buried in her arms. The rain water splashed against him as he dropped to his knees and started to crawl into the confined space with her. He wrapped his arms around her as he pulled her shivering body against his. Without giving it a second thought he pulled off his shirt as he felt the water squeeze from it. He held her against the bare fur of his chest as he felt her sob. Softly he shushed her as he ran his fingers through her wet hair, pulling the tangled flowers out with them. "It's okay, everything will be okay," he said over and over without any clue what was wrong. All he knew was he needed to fix it, to help her deal with it. "Just tell me what happened."She leaned against him as she whispered, barely above the sound of the rain, "you don't understand. "You'll never understand you're all heartless monsters. I should have never left my grove. The mother would have taken care of me, as she always has."Donovan held her tight as he tried to think of something to say. He was even more clueless about her than he was any other girl. She had always been a mystery to him, never really making any sense in the choices that she made. But now he felt like he had no choice of his own in this matter. He had helped her leave the grove she now wanted to retreat back to. It was as much his fault of whatever had happened as it was the other teen couple's. "If you didn't leave, I would never have gotten to know you," he said as the words came to him from nowhere, "and I want to know you. I want to help you. But I can't do anything if I don't know what's wrong."Sonet turned and wrapped her arms around the older lynx and she buried her face in his thick fur. "The world is dying around me. She was screaming in pain as I walked through that cabin. And there is nothing I can do about it," she sobbed as she spoke to him, "I don't know what to do, I don't know how Grandfather did it. How could he stand by and watch as they rend the land for selfish gain." Donovan thought about what Mark had said, she knew nothing of the world he lived in, and he took it for granted that it was best. She had everything she wanted, she was happy without all the luxuries and gadgets of life. But he knew she could not continue that life, not now. She had seen things that would draw her out again and again and slowly break her down until nothing was left. He rested his muzzle on her head as he breathed in the scent of the flowers and berries. He closed his eyes as he thought about the past two days and he knew he had changed as much as she had. Mark was right, he was drawn to her, and he would keep coming back here and his life would never be the same. He whispered in her ear softly, his breath tickling the fine hairs as he spoke. "The world's not filled with heartless people. We just don't know any other way. We are trapped in a never ending cycle of striving for success yet never knowing what that is." He nuzzled her head as he continued. "You've told me about the balance, everything in harmony. How life is balanced by death. So would it not also be true that renewal is balanced by destruction? That those living in the towns are a balance for those who don't? My life, the way I've lived is so different from the way you have, maybe... just maybe I am the other side of the balance for you."Sonet tilted her head to look up at the lynx that held her, his soft, thick fur pressed against her, the calm even beat of his heart thrummed through his chest. He just might understand what her grandfather had tried and failed to teach her. For eight years she had never set hoof outside their grove, before then she had played with the same people she had just condemned. She had been close to that world she hated, and now she knew nothing about it. He had brought books and pictures back with him on each trip. He had tried to get her to go with him back to the other grove to trade and meet others. He had told her that one day she would need to leave the grove, but she had thought that would always be in the future. Now she sat in a hollowed out tree, in the arms of one of those same people she thought sickened her to the core, and couldn't think of anywhere else she should be. The mother had led her to this place, on this path,
and she had been too blind to see it. She was as much of an extreme to the balance as she thought the others."Dawn," she said to the lynx, "don't leave me, I can't do this alone."He hugged her nude body tighter as he said, "I don't think I could let you do it alone." They both held each other as the rain slowly weakened and a few shafts of sunlight broke through the clouds and shined down on the ground outside the tree. Donovan whispered in her ear without letting up on the pressure of his grip on her. "Do you think we can try this again? Or should we just wait till tomorrow?"Sonet looked up at him again, her brown eyes locking on his ice blue spheres. She pushed forward as she pressed her lips to his. They both closed their eyes as they shared their first kiss. They held each other as time seemed to stand still. Slowly she pulled away and looked at him. "We should try again, I need to apologize for the things I said. It wasn't right to judge them for the things they did not do."Donovan smiled at her as he said, "okay, I will be right here for you if anything should happen." Together they crawled out of the hollow as he picked his wet muddied shirt off the ground. He tossed it over his shoulder as he said, "There goes my last set of clean clothes. You think that Mark guy will let me use his washer?""Washer?" she asked as she looked up at the taller boy.The lynx sighed heavily as he said, "we have a long way to go, don't we?"Sonet smiled as she replied, "only if you keep saying strange things."(¯·._.··¸.-~*´¨¯¨·~-.,-(Absolution)-,.-~´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸··._.·´¯)As they approached the cabin once more, Sonet shivered in his arms. The thought of how she had talked to Mark brought chills to her spine. She knew her grandfather would be shamed by her actions and didn't know if they would forgive her. Together they walked up to the door and as Donovan knocked he said, "look, no matter what happens it's okay. The worst that can happen is they send us on
our way. I have a tent if it starts to rain or anything." He sighed as he thought about it, "I'll just have to put on a set of dirty clothes until I can get to some place and wash them."As the lynx was completing his statement the door opened suddenly, the Bernese boy standing in the opening looking at the pair with a slight grin in his muzzle. "Well, I see Donovan found you. Had time to cool down yet or do I need to slam the door in your face?" He turned to look the lynx in the eyes as he added, "that must have been some wind out there, blew the shirt right off your back.""Ha ha, very funny," Donovan said, "the shirt was wet and uncomfortable so I took it off."Sonet looked at the floor as she said, "I'm... I'm sorry I said what I did. It wasn't my place and Grandfather taught me better than to act like that. I should have known you know about how I felt, and should have had a better way to voice it." She looked up at the bernese mountain dog and added, "and thank you for keeping the land safe, in that alone you do more good than harm.""Look," Donovan said, "I don't really know what happened, but I'm guessing it's more of that Druid wiccan stuff that I clearly don't understand. So if you want us to leave I guess I can understand that, I just needed to grab our pack and we'll be on our way.""Firstly, if I wanted you to leave you would already be gone. There would be no doubt in your mind that was what I wanted. Secondly, on your way where? On to town? After her reaction to this cabin you really want to chance that yet? I doubt that very highly. I knew she would react badly, her grandfather has warned me for the last two years that when the time came and she had to make the trip herself it would not go well. I assumed she would follow his old trail, which would lead her here instead of into town, he's used that trail for the last three years to insure she would end up here instead of Winter Creek. He knew she was not ready to deal with that kind of shock and planned ahead. Her reaction was far worse than he expected. Whether or not that is because of you Donovan remains to be seen." Stepping back from the doorway he waved a paw into the cabin as he said, "you are indeed still welcome here Sonet, and your... companion as well."Donovan let Sonet
walk past the bernese boy as he paused to ask, "do you have a washer I could use? This was my last set of clothes... and I kinda got them muddy. I can pay if you need, and have my own detergent.""A washer yes, but that detergent of yours... bio-degradable, no phosphates, no dyes or perfumes?" the Bernese boy asked with a raised eyebrow."Made for camping, sir," the lynx said, "supposed to have zero impact to the environment. Not sure how true that is though.""About as true as the world being flat is, we have detergent that is completely eco friendly, use that. It's above the washer in the first cabinet on the right. Through the kitchen there," the boy said pointing the way, "hang a left and through the door. Question is what are you gonna wear while your clothes are in the wash?"Donovan looked at Mark with a little smirk, "I have a pair of shorts I keep just for laundry stops so I can wash it all in one load.""Good," Mark said as he turned and headed into the kitchen, "don't think anyone here wants to be looking at your junk while you wait." Looking across the breakfast bar back into the living room at the young Doe, Mark asked, "so are you going to just stand by the door and be amazed or would you rather sit down Sonet?"The young doe slowly walked into the cabin, her eyes darting around as she looked at what seemed to be a vast collection of objects and furniture. She stopped in the living room and stood for a long moment as she looked at the several pieces of furniture before she took a seat on the floor and crossed her legs. "It's... it's all so beautiful, like a grove of its own. So strange and..." she trailed off as she looked around the big room. "I could dry and preserve so many herbs in here, I'd never be able to use them all, or carry them to town to trade." She ran her paws over the soft rug in front of the larger couch. Her eyes traveled over the polished wood floor as she thought about the earthen cottage she grew up in. The place suddenly seem almost magical as she looked closer. She slowly laid down and stretched out on the rug like a soft patch of fresh grass, the soft fuzz of the rug felt good against her damp fur as she rolled over onto her back. After a few long moments Sonet sat up with a start as the humming sound of the washer started in the distance. She looked in the direction of the sound to see Donovan walking in the room wearing only a pair or red cotton nylon blend shorts with a small white box in his paw. He looked over at Mark and said, "Do you get any cell reception out here? It's been three days since I last checked in. I'm sure my mom's about to send out the search parties any time now.""Most ot the time, not always after a storm like the one that went through, might be better to try out on the porch, usually a better signal out there," the Bernese boy said as he watched the young doe intently.Sonet stood up as Donovan walked toward the door and asked, "What are you doing?"With the renewed sense of the doe's sheltered life and unsure of how to answer the question he went with his base response, "I have to let my mom know where I am so she doesn't worry as much." He continued his path with the hope that the vague unexplained answer would be enough for the girl. He sighed with a sudden hope that there was no signal as she followed him to the door. As the door opened and the single bar appeared on the phone screen he sighed again as he tried to think of how to explain the common device to her. He sat in one of the rough hewed chairs on the porch as she knelt in front of him, the look of pure curiosity in her eyes. "Okay, you remember the GPS thing I showed you yesterday, that told us where we were?" She nodded her head in acknowledgement for him to continue. "This is kind of like that, only it lets us talk to people that are far away, or in the same room if you're a tweeny bopper.""A tweeny bopper?" she asked with a raised eyebrow."We'll get to stuff like that later," he said with a little giggle at the joke that went over her head, "see, my mom in is Utah, and we're in Colorado. I can use this to talk to her, all I have to do is know the number to her phone," he explained as he tapped at the number pad on the small flip phone before he held it up to his ear.Sonet watched as he held the strange little box to his head, she could hear an odd tweeting sound that came from it as she waited. Her eyes shot open wide as
she heard a distinctly female voice replace the tweeting. She covered her mouth to stifle the gasp as he spoke. "Hi mom, I wanted to check in before you call the mounties." Sonet listened intently as the voice from the other place spoke. (The mounties are in Canada, dear, you went the wrong way if you wanted me to call them.) He looked down at Sonet for a moment. "Hold on mom," he said as he pulled the phone away from his head and covered it with is paw. "You want to say something," he asked. With no response he lifted the phone back to his ear and said, "I want you to say hi to Sonet, I met her yesterday and I am helping her get to town to get supplies." He held the phone out to the young doe and said, "you hold it up to your ear so you can hear it better."Cautiously Sonet took the phone from his paw and held it up to her ear. She heard a slight buzzing sound as she looked at him. He leaned in close, his muzzle almost touching hers as he said, "okay mom, this is Sonet. She's a bit shy but she's really nice." The doe dropped the phone to the porch as the female voice said, (Hello dear...) She backed away as the rest of the words were lost in the commotion. He swiftly dropped to his knees and put a paw on her shoulder as he looked into her eyes, "It's okay, nothing hurt." He picked the phone up with his other paw and held it up to his ear again, "hey mom, I think I should go, I'll call again in a few days okay, nothing big is going on, and I am near Winter Creek Colorado. I think I might spend a few days here." He flipped the phone shut as he ignored what ever the voice on the other end had to say. "I'm sorry, Sonet, I shouldn't have dropped that on you like that." She looked up at him, her eyes still wide with shock and her paws over her mouth. Slowly she took her paws away from her mouth as she apologized, "I'm sorry, I didn't know what to do."He smiled back as he said, "it's okay, really, no one knows what to do when they first see a phone." He sat down on the porch with her as he added, "maybe next time I'll ask to talk to my little sister, she has about the same experience as you with them." As he sat there with her, Sonet relaxed and leaned against him. Her weight pressed into his thick fur as she laid her head on his chest. He sat there for a moment before his mind drifted to the fact that the young doe was still nude and pressed against his body. He shifted as his body began to once again react to the images in his mind. He shifted his legs in an attempt to hide the growing
erection that would be highly visible in the simple gym shorts. He tried to think of what had just changed that had caused his thought pattern to shift. He began to blush deeply under his fur as he felt her paw slid down to his belly. He pulled her away slightly as he said, "we should get inside, don't want our hosts to think we got carried off or something." Sonet placed her paw on his thigh as she stood up and said, "okay." She waited for a moment before adding, "are you going to come?""Yeah, I'll be right there," he said as he tried to adjust himself to better hide the bulge in his shorts. He folded his paws over his crotch in an attempt to look natural and still hide the evidence of his arousal. He swiftly walked in, sat in the closest seat, and crossed his legs in a futile effort that only served to worsen the situation by rubbing the fabric over the stiffening member.As Sonet stretched out on the larger rug again she rolled in the soft rug fluff as she reminisced about the soft wild grass of her home grove. She stopped and sat up to look at Donovan, with a serious look in her eyes, "I still want to go to town, I need to see it."Donovan looked back at her as she asked, "are you sure? Town is nothing like this. I don't think..." He trailed off as he looked over at Mark. "The place had lots of buildings, bigger than this. And you'll have to put on clothes I'm sure."Looking at the counter before him as he spoke Mark said, "I agree with Donovan on this one. I don't think you should Sonet, but it's not my place to tell you what to do or not do. You will have to be dressed, completely, to go into Winter Creek. It may be a pagan friendly town, but open nudity in public is still not allowed within the town boundaries. I wonder though if it is only to prove to yourself that you can do it Sonet, that is not a good reason to put yourself through the shock you're so eager to run towards."The young doe sat cross legged, her paws on her ankles, making her arms and legs look like a frame around her torso leaving her self on display for the young lynx as she started, "I need to go, I need the supplies and to learn who I can trade with. I know that I'll have to do it myself some time, but I still need to do it now."Donovan looked at her, slightly distracted by his view as he felt the stiffness in his shorts twitch as he tried to think through what she was saying. "Look, Sonet, I can go get your supplies this time. It's not a big deal for me," he said as he shifted to find a position to relieve the pressure on his shaft. "I'll even help you take it back to your grove. Besides you don't have anything to wear, and Mark said you have to be fully clothed, so the cloak won't work this time.""There is another option, one that I would strongly suggest you make use of for the time being Sonet. If you will be patient and wait for another day I will have Ariel go to town in the morning and get you some clothing that you can wear into town. I'll arrange for the people that your grandfather trades with to meet us at the grove's meeting grounds so that you can meet them and learn who they are and trade for your supplies. That way you can get what you need, and not have to be exposed to Winter Creek all at once. After you're finished trading I will take you and Donovan to a hillside that is not so very far away from town, you will be able to see much of Winter Creek and have a better idea of what you're getting yourself into if you want to go into town on your next trip. Will that be acceptable to you young druid?"Sonet sat for a moment and thought through the option. She remembered trading at the grove meet with her grandfather. She remembered all the people that brought her candy and treats and the other children that came. Her heart sank a little as she looked over at the now much older Mark that used to be among the children. With a slight sigh of dissatisfaction she laid back out on the floor. "That will have to do I guess. I should have started to come with Grandfather again when he started to get sick on his trips."