The Hunchback of Notre Dame: Heaven's Light

Fidele

The young goat tried with all his might to dig out from under the bottom pen plank, since jumping over was proved fruitless. He kicked, he scraped, he wriggled along on his back until he tumbled out into the murky grass. The other ponies looked on with envy and kept huffing as the older goat, Djali was about to attempt his turn. The babe laid low in the grass, but he was aware and listening as his father scraped and kicked as he did. This time, his own head could not even wedge under. To their dismay, a human was coming their way and the young one fled to the bushes. It was the exhausted, worried gypsy woman, Esmeralda, coming to check the ponies. Djali was rendered silent before he bleated joyfully when he saw her. The babe in the bushes peeking out cautiously.

Esmeralda's mind was full of woe after coming to the decision to speak to Quasimodo, her dearest friend. When she saw her once lost friend, digging at the bottom of the pen, her demeanor changed. She had thought she lost the poor goat a long, long time ago, believing that Djali was killed by wolves.

"Djali...oh my friend... Djali..." she sighed as she came to the pen, in relief. "You're alive."

Djali wanted to come out desperately to greet her. When she opened the pen just slight to let him free. The babe nervously watched on as his father pranced about this human who he seemed to know so well.

Despite that she had reunited with her talented friend, she was on a mission still. To speak to Quasimodo about Aurora, but was not so sure of how to go about it without him hurting so much after what has happened. Djali seemed to sense her sadness and stepped down.

"So much has happened, Djali. You've missed it all." she whispered to the billy goat before she heard a rustle of the bushes behind her.

Still on edge of the events prior, Esmeralda twisted her head around, nervous. But, gladly it was only another goat, peeking his head out. He gave a timid bray before he dodged again into the bush. Seeing him, Djali nervously bleated at him to come out. There was no danger here.

"Oh...who is that, Djali?" the tired gypsy asked, meaning the coax the young one out. "Please don't fear." she said as the baby truly reminded her of someone. "Come on." she then offered a hand full of lush grass shoots.

The baby was nervous, but his stomach also twisted with hunger, so he took a step closer to her. He reached his nose out to take it, but she inched away little. This was a small, shy one, which also reminded her of when she coaxed Quasimodo out of the cathedral that morn. He had grown so much since then...so sure of himself, unlike back then. His devotion to Rose was something she had experienced with Clopin while growing up. She and him were very close, so close that they were just like brother and sister, but in the Bell ringer's case...it was more so. He had become a father to the princess. A bond that thick and strong can never be broken...like a cathedral stone.

But where did Djali meet this young goat? Esmeralda got a good idea though; that there was reason for Djali's disappaerance after all. She had one good idea for a name for him. Seeing that his horns were almost grown in, he was quite small for his age. Gilles came to mind, which mainly meant small goat. It was a name she read from one of the Greek books she happened upon in Notre Dame's library when she was young.... Yet that was another fond memory.

Despite finding the two new additions, there was another problem happening with that one pony the seemed to enjoy giving the Burrowers so much trouble. He would not allow others to get near him as they were rounding the ponies to pull the wagons. Time was short, so Evrard was getting frustrated with the animal. Quasimodo was assisting the children by helping them safely take down the tents as Adalyn assisted with counting the food rations and loading them into the wagons. Weaponry was being sharpened...new arrows being made.