A Buck's Life (Part Two)

I was unfortunate enough to be right. The humans built strange and ugly buildings and moved in as if the land belonged to them. It seemed as if the only life left there, aside from the creatures, was the grass. But they tore most of the grass up to put in a long, straight, black rock that shiny things moved on, and next to it another straight beige rock that the creatures walked on. What had been our home for so long had been invaded. There became more hunters. Not all of the humans there who lived there hunted. From what I heard, some of them actually claim to try to preserve and love nature. I don't know how a deer managed to get that information, but if that was true, then some of those creatures are hypocrites to think they love and protect our home by chopping it down and invading it by filling it with rows of their ugly buildings.

I stayed for two more years before deciding I was done. The creatures kept taking more land, and became more irritating. I could not go one day without hearing one or being able to forget that they were there. Most of the flowers were done blooming when I announced this. I left my home forest, to find a new forest to live in. I took a deep breath when I set my hoof out of the forest, past the tree-line, for the first time. I hear hoof-steps in the grass behind me, my mother following me, she had decided to join me. I snorted and nodded towards the herd. I wanted her to be safe, we both had no idea what could be out beyond the forest. She shook her head and continued following me. My head hung in defeat and the sound of my hooves flattening the grass slowed down, but I let her come, knowing I couldn't change her mind.

I wandered into the vast field that was beyond our forest, in hopes that I would come upon a forest safe for my mother and I to live in. I trekked across different lands. I adventured fields that seemed to go on forever, hills that felt ancient and tranquil, and tall green forests. But all the forests that he found seemed to have humans living near it. There seemed to be almost no where that the creatures hadn't invaded. We didn't have much problems finding food, water was the necessity that was harder to come by. The air became hotter, then at the peak of the warmth, became colder and colder. By this time I had been searching for nine months.

One day when we were walking across the top of a mound in the hills, my mother's legs buckled beneath her and she fell onto the ground. I rushed to her. I nudged my head against hers and tried to urge her to keep going. My mother gave a sweet smile with sad eyes that made her face look bittersweet. She shook her head. I knew she was an old deer, the cold, little water, and travelling for so long took its toll on her. She had been hiding how tired she was the last few days. But her time couldn't end now, there was too much for her to see, a new home that needed to be found.

I stood next to her, desperately praying for a miracle, nudging her to get up. I hoped my sheer will for her to get better would make it happen. My mother put her head against mine and rubbed my head with hers. Her fur felt soft and warm. She gave a soft bleat before her head dropped to the ground and she remained motionless. I kept nudging her, but I soon had to accept the truth, she was gone. I stayed there for the of the day and the night. I lay next to her as the sadness and grief washed over me. I whimpered the whole time. If I were human, I would have cried, a lot, but buck's can't cry.

I kept searching, but I felt lonely now that mother was gone. There was no one with me. I never knew that being alone could feel so depressing. I finally couldn't take it anymore. I started to run back to where I came from, as fast as I could, across fields, hills and forests. I knew could go to my old herd. I would be around other deer. We might end up living in danger of humans, but it was okay, because I would be with my people and be happy with them. When I finally got back, after all that time, I was shocked. My eyes became glued to the scene, my hooves felt heavy, and time stood still.

It was completely gone. There was nothing left. The forest was gone. It was all chopped down and replaced by buildings and the black rock that the creatures put everywhere they went. There was no way to tell where they went or if they even existed anymore. No way to know if they left or stayed 'til the final tree was cut and my herd became no more. I had no way of knowing what happened. I had no one. I cried out as loud as I could.
I had no choice but to continue searching for a place to stay.

The flashback ended. I scowled at road as if it was the reason I was there, alone, that day. Although there was a road, there seemed to be no humans around. I looked at the hills behind me and began to head there. I climbed over the slope. It was almost winter and I needed to find someplace to stay. The grass seemed almost brown and would have looked beautiful if it didn't mean that it wouldn't taste as good as if it were green.

A forest in the distance caught my eye. It seemed vast, peaceful, and seemed to offer and home and shelter. I wanted to go home, to a place where I belonged, I had been running for so long and didn't have an old home to go back to. I ate a few nuts that were on the ground in the forest. It was a quiet and serene forest, it seemed big and made me feel small, a feeling I hadn't felt in a long time. I didn't have enough time to inspect it thoroughly, but it seemed to not have any humans around it. It would be safe from humans for a long time.

I lay against a tree on a patch of grass. I stared up at the forest. I couldn't get my hopes too high yet, but I was positive I had found a home. It was undisturbed and a perfect place to rest after searching for so long. I closed my eyes and slept in peace for the first time in a year and a half.

~

This is a story for #365daysofwriting. This is the second half of the story. Thank you for reading this and for all the upvotes I got yesterday for part one.

This song, Runaway, seems to fit the story. Since the buck keeps running and is trying to find a home:

And I was running far away
Would I run off the world someday?
Take me home
Take me home where I belong