"Look!"
The stag snaps to attention. The rain has stopped and the sun has come out. The hollow of the tree is almost empty. Only a few sleeping fawns remain. He can still smell the rain, and lingers. Something odd happened to him. He's sure he hadn't fallen asleep.
"Look! Look!"
He sets his head down and flicks his ears.
I didn't sleep.
"SOKONEI! LOOK!" His friend bellows in his ear.
"What?"
"Mud!"
He can't say anything to that.
Echria steps on his tail. "Didn't you hear me?"
"Yes." He winces. "Mud."
"MUD!" Celeste trots over and cries loudly.
"Mud." He nods to them both.
"It's the first mud of our lives don't you want to see?" Echria asks.
"Not really."
"But it's MUD!" Celeste cries louder.
He nods again. "I know. Atu said that after rain there is mud."
"So you don't want to play in mud?"
"No, sorry."
"You sure?" Echria asks.
"Yup."
"Okay." She trots off. "C'mon Celes."
Celeste follows. "I think he's been hanging around Atuutluk too much."
"Atu likes to play though."
"...really?"
"I think so..."
"Jergens?"
"No not Jergens."
"Oh yeah, Jergens tells nice stories."
"Who else does he hang around?"
"NightShade."
"Who's that, do we know them?"
"Don't ask me. I don't know her either...but they say she's cursed by the Gods."
"Cursed?" Celeste looks in all directions and then up as if something might fall from the sky.
"...I don't know if it's true though."
He listens as the two get out of earshot and rises from the damp earth.
NightShade? Cursed?
