Blacktail Deer Plateau Hibernation

It had been a few weeks since Val had laid eyes on the Plateau's beta, Blue Willow, and the boy barely recognized her dark figure as he crested the river bend. Her normally slender form had turned heavy set, middle thick and sagging, and she meandered uncomfortably through the snow. His bat-ears cocked, confused as first, as he reached out to gingerly whiff at the air. Was something wrong? A milky scent wafted towards him... one he couldn't place. It was familiar. A rare aroma among the musty wood... and it wasn't long before curiosity got the best of him, drawn in by the unusual fragrance.

He loped towards the ballooned healer, head ducking away suspiciously. She had offered him food and shelter. A kind woman by any measure. "Blue?" he chirped, prepubescent voice still high pitched, "what's wrong with your belly?" His uncertain drawl revealed how unobservant young boys could be.