his steps were silent and careful. he had been walking for days, as indicated by his slightly shaky legs and tired eyes. he had no idea what this place was, but he did hope it was the right place. his herd had disappeared while he slept, and he had tried very hard to find them, but he couldn't. did they leave him behind by accident? the thought of his mother forgetting him had caused him to cry for a few days, unsure of what to do with himself. but, it had been a few weeks by now.

"mother?" he called out loudly, hoping for a response. however, he was met with none. he would walk a bit more through the marsh before repeating. "mother! are you there?" he called once again, voice a bit louder now. he knew his herd appreciated drier grounds more than these swampy ones, but they did go through them sometimes, and he had already looked about the drier areas, so this was his next guess. he was still met with no response, though. he went quiet for a little bit now.

he had walked all around, calling out for them and searching everywhere he could. but, he could not find them. "flip, don't you think we should try to find some shelter?" finally ari suggested, the crow's voice quiet. the boy looked to the familiar bird, not saying anything. he didn't like the idea of stopping the search. what if they were nearby? "it has been a couple weeks now. maybe somebody will take you in and help out." he reasoned, tone calm. the boy knew he was right. but, he wasn't sure still. "wh-what if they're close?" his voice was barely a whisper now. the crow's voice seemed impatient as he responded, "they're not. they would have heard you."

he frowned, his fur becoming a bit darker and flowers wilting slightly. he wanted to argue back, but the impatient tone made him think otherwise. "who would take us in?" he decided to say instead, looking around. he didn't see anyone. he didn't know if there were any predators around, either. he didn't have much meat on his bones to help sustain one, but he knew he was lucky to not have run into one by now. "i don't know. somebody, probably. call out again - maybe somebody is nearby."

the boy huffed quietly, stopping to look around. his fur was a bit darker than usual, due to him feeling upset, and the flowers along his back wilted. he was annoyed that ari wasn't doing more. they could separate and increase their chances of finding the herd - or at least, somebody! but, the crow never left him. never, ever. he appreciated the company most of the time, but right now he wished the bird would do more. but, he wouldn't, so the boy dealt with it. "hello? can anybody help me?"

//quick note - no one else can see or hear ari

talking and being conscious was always something that he was capable of. he picked it up from both ari and his mother, and never really thought anything about it. his herd acted different than him, but he still liked them and talked to them. they certainly weren't as smart as him. but, he relied on them and thought of them all as his family. he didn't like being in this world without them. at least he did still have ari, he guessed, even if the crow was a little useless aside from his advice.

as the stranger approached, the fawn would stumble back slightly and carefully, not immediately trusting him. while it was easy to gain the boy's trust, he did at least know to be careful. his ears perked towards the male, listening to him quietly. he introduced himself and then asked what was wrong. the boy would allow himself to relax a little, figuring this male didn't mean any harm for now. his fur color changed back to its regular black and white tones, along with his tiny flowers blooming again.

"h-hi, vigenere. um, my name's flipside, but i usually just go by flip." he introduced in a gentle voice, his words slow. he felt ari nudge up against him, as if he was about to say something and he shifted his gaze downward, but the crow remained silent. so, the boy turned his attention back to vigenere again, knowing he still needed to answer why he needed help. "i lost my herd a few weeks ago...do you know of anywhere i could stay?" he explained, gaze slightly nervous. unbeknownst to him, he was literally standing in a group's territory.

But Heed this lesson well,
When the weak court death, They find it -

[sub]TANGLEWOOD - REGENT - TAGS - REF (9FT) - EXTREME[W]isker[/sub]