Phoenix Maplewood Spare me all your lies

Pain, it had penetrated the mask she so carefully wore when the fire had reached the part of the forest that she stayed. Suffocation, her lungs struggled to work as the thick smoke clogged them. Burning, that was her tail before she had to make a rash decision. Fear, it was the feeling that still accompanied every time she closed her eyes.

To say that, the one that most of her kind called a witch, was effected deeply by the flames that took her world away would be an understatement. Terror still followed her even as the burns started to heal. The throbbing in her legs, her feet, and even more so on what remained of her tail were reminders of what had happened. She would never outwardly express it but she blamed herself, if she was not so selfish she would have left the forest long before disaster. Her cursed fur would never have brought something so terrible to their forest, the High Elk's wrath.

A whine came from her lips as she finally collapsed along a fallen tree, her breathing coming in quick pants. She had to get a hold of herself, she needed to find those that survived. Other had to survive, she could not be the only one. The curse would just follow her if she was the only one but the question remained, why had the High Elk sparred her life? If he hated her so, shouldn't she be dead now?

she never entered whitebark’s territory, instead opting to immediately return to her stores after their acceptance. fréobearn needed more time to process what célnes had roped their family into, and taking this small trip was exactly the distraction she needed.

until—

whitney, the white witch. fréobearn stared in silence, unsure of whether or not to make herself known. in the distance, a young doe pranced from concealment to the open, then continued into the fields, providing implicit permission for fréo to approach.

she unraveled one of the fern leaves to reveal a crumpled pile of webs, which was quickly taken between her front teeth, with some sap from a nearby elm. then, she walked to whitney’s side, being careful to avoid eye contact.

whitney, fréobearn mumbled as she dressed the most obvious wounds, did you bring anyone else with you?

She had closed her eyes for a short time, the deer pelt she usually wore settled between her paws like a pillow before she tried to calmed her breathing. There was not much luck in that, her heart still hammered with the stress she had put it under. All she wanted to do was sleep, maybe this was still a dream, still a nightmare.

No, she needed to learn what she was at. A few times she saw a deer of soft brown coloring, this helped her know she was on the right path but her surroundings.. she took this time now, her pale blush eyes moved and observed what she could from her prone position. The tree she was against had fallen quite some time ago, the green moss and climbing vines along it told her that. It also smelled like a fox use to call the place home but that scent waa stale, no longer a concern. She looked at the mushrooms not too far from her, tilting her fire touched skull and cataloged that they were an edible variety. Good to know, the sound of a squirrel nearby made her thankful that she could catch something when she calmed her body.

Sound came and she snapped her gaze to the small fawn that was passing by, her eyes dropping in a sign of respect but that was not the only creature near. No, the isabella-brown girl known as Fréobearn was there. Asking the deer if it was alright to approach the witch witch, the cursed one. She took what the albino recognized as cobwebs from a fern leaf and began to treat her, noting that she too had to part with her tail. They matched on that front, both now carried deer-like tails.

Her name was spoken, mumbled, as well as a question that burned her ears. "..no. you are the first I have seen." She replied as her eyes dropped to the pelt between her paws, that way the girl could look at her without ever meeting her eyes.

whitney’s admission of solitude sent fréobearn’s heart plummeting into her stomach with an almost audible gulp. kendrick was still missing, and while it was probably for the best that he not meet with the white witch, she couldn’t help but feel resentment for what easily could have been their reunion.

she kept these thoughts to herself, instead opting to keep this particular meeting as professional as one could. your wounds are extensive, fréo explained, the high elk has given me permission to treat them, but you know it must be done in secret. what would her siblings think, to see her now?

fréobearn shook those thoughts from her head. we are nearby, célnes and cenric. i can help you find somewhere to rest, where we can meet, and i’ll leave some things for you to treat yourself when i cannot be there. hopefully, that was good enough.

She could almost feel there was something that this soft hued healer wanted to say, that she wanted something specific when she spoke of how she was alone but the girl did not know what it was. She had a drive that made her want to please her brethren and so she wanted to give her what she wanted but what was it? 

It was funny how pain did not become very noticeable when you were occupied until those wounds were pointed out, so when the deer girl spoke about how extensive her wounds were she could not help but flinch. She was burned, singed, and now missing most of her tail, and yet she was alive. What did the High Elk have planned for her, what could he possibly want with a cursed child? "I thank you, Fréobearn, and the High Elk for this kindness." She dipped her head in respect, after all, in her prone state she could not bow. When the words about secrecy came she helped ease the girl's mind, "if anyone asks I will be sure to not mention it was you that preformed the healing."

There were others, her pale eyes snapped to doe brown eyes. Her ears cupped in her direction as hope swelled in her heart. There were others, others were alive! She chanted before remembering herself,  her mask of calm slipping back over her features. "Have you seen any others, have you seen my brothers?" She asked, smooth and collected as she rested her head on her deer pelt once more.

fréobearn could recognize, perhaps more than the other déorwine wolves, that whitney had not done anything in this life to deserve the curse which plagued her. it was a consequence of something an ancestor had done, something which the high elk thought punishable to the highest degree, but did that mean whitney herself was evil? it was a question for the elders, she thought.

for now, they would continue to meet in secret, if only to follow the customs. after all, fréo had been given the high elk’s blessing, otherwise she might have never stopped.

the momentary excitement which came over the pale woman was met with the faintest signs of aggression. fréobearn’s ears became plastered back, her lip silently curling upward as a reminder of whitney’s submission. she waited for her to rest once more before responding, no. only my siblings, cenric and célnes. if there were others here, then they hadn’t come close enough to be found yet.

fréobearn waited until she was satisfied with the basic dressings to move. come on, she muttered to whitney, then grabbed the herbs she’d been carrying to lead the way home.

She remains submissive, her reaction of excitement taken as an act of aggression so she drops her ears further to ensure she is nothing but a lowly curse. Her eyes never go to the fawn colored girl again as she is treated, she keeps her head low and on the pelt she usually wears. It acts like a pillow as she remains silent, head bobbing slightly so aknowledge that only ones that Fréobearn found were her siblings. It was better than nothing, and Cenric was still alive.. Her mind wandered on him as she felt herbs touching her sore places until the girl's voice came again.

Come one, she says and so the albino stands before picking up her deer pelt and following the other girl to the placethat they will meet in secret. away from any of the other deerkin so that her curse might now effect them.