A Tale of Three

Chapter 16: False

Cold wind filled the gravel field, brushing against every stone. It slowly progressed across them, carrying the scents of the salty ocean in the mountains. The breeze moved noiselessly, sweeping across the deathly silent air with ease. It crept under every loose stone, nipping at their sharp edges; the air climbed up the small boulders, blowing any loose plant that managed to wrap itself up the rock away from its unrelenting home. The crisp wind smothered the ground, leaving the dust damp from pressure. Many miles up from the damp soil, sharp stones, and cold breezes were the mountains. They surrounded the field like a ring, trapping everything inside. The stony giants were so tall that they could pass as a bridge that lead to Luna and Sol. Gray clouds kissed the tips of the mountains, before covering the field and blanketing it in colorless shadows.

The faint clinking of hoof beats could be heard as deer approached the dreary plains. They ran in a tight group, their tan hides a small contrast against the gray. The deer were tightly clustered, swinging their furry heads across the landscape to see. They kept their necks moving, never giving any predator the chance to attack. The deer's pace was fast, and they ran across the stone in long leaps, not one of them stumbling after landing on the stone. Frost covered the bottom of the deer's hooves and their horns were thick with velvet. Their fur was long and dirty, and huge white clouds of frost appeared in front of them with each breath. They ran in the cold, flicking their ears back and forth and twitching their tails in fear.

As they neared the middle of the clearing, their tails started to droop, and their ears moved to a comfortable position on their heads. The young fawns' heads stopped swinging every direction, and their pace became more relaxed than fearful. The deer's clopping hooves quickly became quiet as they stopped to rest in the middle. Slowly, they moved out of their cluster, spreading out across the field. Fawns pranced out only to be followed by cautious does watching their children. When they had decided it was safe, the deer quickly whipped down and tore at the few pieces of life that grew in the harsh gravel. Ears perked up they started to nibble on the stubs of grass. The young played in the middle, dancing as if they were trying to avoid touching the ground. The dominant male trotted around the herd sniffing for any sign of danger nearby. The scentless air gave no clue of any other creatures prowling around the colorless field.

Turning his back on the mountains in relief, he started to head over to his mate who was watching over his young fawn. As he watched the fawn dance across the stones, he heard a new sound. It was a lone howl, so long and ominous one would think the creatures wanted him to take off running. Whipping around in panic, he saw a pack of eight wolves running towards them. The alpha ran in the middle, his jaws already open. As if there was a silent signal, all the deer took off. The pounding of hooves on stone filled the air. Does leaped across the fields with their tales raised, trying to lead their young to safety. In the middle, the dominant stag led his herd across the plains. He watched out of the corner of his eyes as the wolves snapped at the heels of a young fawn that was trailing behind the others. He immediately recognized the fawn as his own.

Letting his instinct take over, he turned around. The stag was careful not to knock any of his own over in his furious dash, but his run was anything but careful. He ran with a pounding heart, not caring which way he went, just as long as he saved his fawn. He lowered his head and ran towards the wolf, his antlers directed at the wolf's heart. He had to protect his herd. As the antlers met the wolf's flesh, he ripped up, watching as the dead wolf collapsed onto the gravel fields. With not a minute to waste he turned around and located his panicked herd. They were running franticly with a swift-footed fawn in the lead. His herd ran farther and farther ahead, and the gap between them was growing. The stag took a breath and started running again using all his strength to push onward. He heard the wolves stop behind him, probably noticing one of their kin was dead. The stag saw his herd turn between two surrounding mountains, disappearing from view.