The Fawn
Aveline couldn’t help the dumb smile on her face while she watched the little fawn splash about the lake’s edge. The adorable creature was small even for its age, some dwarf specimen with odd blue fur. Where it had come from she didn’t quite know except that it had been a gift and one that kept right on giving. There were few sounds more delightful than the click of her little hooves against the wooden floor of Aveline’s home, and sweeter still were its little mews for more pets once she settled herself in the hyur’s lap.
And now here they were by the Lavender Beds’ docks again, out for a walk and some of the Shroud’s tame sunlight. The little fawn, her Aster, never seemed to get tired of dancing in and out of the shallow water, taking delight in the bright splashes like any curious child might.
But she never strayed too far, no. There was no need for a leash with such a shy creature, more prone to hiding behind Aveline at the snap of a twig than nosing into new and unexplored brush. Even the approach of a stranger would —
Aster suddenly froze, large ears perked up as her head turned toward the movement of a small group stepping off a nearby ferry. One could practically see the gears turning in the little creature’s head as she made that life or death distinction: was it better not to move and attract attention, or should she run to safety before the strange mob of people came too close?
And then there it was, that soft bleat of fear as Aster hastily made her way back to Aveline’s side. Though it resulted in a damp skirt, Aveline could see the full appeal of the teasing she was so often subjected to. Having a helpless creature under her arm begging for sanctuary, its sweet head turned up toward her for reassurance — how could she not love being its big and protective doe?
With one hand gently petting the soft fur between Aster’s ears, her free hand waved toward the ferry-goers who were already making their way to the various shops and apartments of the housing ward. Perhaps someday she’d prove a better example of fearless confidence in the wake of new faces, but for the time being her solace also remained in the quiet lakeside and its shimmering shores.
