I'm woken up to something wet and slimy on my face. Grossed out, I bolt upright, my hand flying to my face. I rub the suspicious substance off my face with the nearest blanket, gasping in disgust.

Aris is silent in my head, but I can feel her obvious amusement. I roll my eyes at her and turn to find Faen gazing 'innocently' at me with his wide black orbs blinking back at me. Raising an eyebrow at the fawn, I lean down to his height, trying to look stern.

"Did you lick me?" I question the baby stag, trying to hide my mirth.

Faen just looks at me and blinks, then with a cute snort, he swipes his pink tongue along my cheek. I try to suppress my giggles by frowning, but that fails and I end up laughing as I swoop down and plant kisses all over his little head.

"Naughty, naughty, Faen," I smirk into his fur as he sneezes out of surprise from my sudden attack.

'I think it's time to give cub a bath,' Aris supplies, her thoughts light with the thought of our new 'cub'.

He's not that smelly, I giggle internally, Okay, maybe a little. Let's clean him up, then we can go berry picking in the meadow.

'I think he'll enjoy the berries, they are delightfully sweet treats,' Aris is brimming with excitement at the prospect of showing Faen new things.

It's settled then, I smile, scooping little Faen into my arms as I stand from the bed.

"Bath time for Faen," I smirk as I duck through the curtains and traipse down the passage.

Faen pricks his ears at the sound of my voice, his small head swiveling to face me as I say 'Bath time'. He sneezes on me in what seems pike protest.

"Gross, Faen," I grumble, wrinkling my nose in disgust.

'Looks like he doesn't want a bath,' Aris chuckles in my head, enjoying Faen's fast forming sass.

You don't say, is my sarcastic response as I finally reach the bathing chamber, which is just a smaller hot spring closer to my bedroom.

"Alright love, in you go," I quip, plopping the unsuspecting fawn into the warm water of the natural bath.

What I did intend was his struggles. I'm quickly doused in warm water, soaked head to toe. Faen pays me no mind as he squeals and hops about in the spring trying to get out.

"Faen! Stop it, you're making a mess!" I scold, trying to grab him, but his wet fur is too slippery to get a grip on.

He evades my grasp, darting further into the pool, making for a ledge on the other side. I reach out for him, but end up slipping and falling into the warm depths of the spring. I emerge spluttering, having not expected falling in.

As I sit in the water, my black hair like an oil spill around me, Faen splashes over. The young fawn snorts and grunts, looking pleased with himself as he appears to almost laugh at me as if he's saying, 'Serves you right, Sucka'.

Cheeky bugger.

Snatching him to my chest, he squeals in surprise before snuggling into my arms as I scratch behind his ears. I can't help but shake my head at him, at how boisterous and bold the youngling is in the presence of a predator.

'He knows we would and could never hurt him,' Aris provides her input, 'He is ours now.'

He is, I smile fondly at the animal in my arms, Our cub.

Aris says nothing, but purrs in agreement, pushing her presence out further, wanting to share the moment with our 'cub'. Sighing in content, I continue to wash and scrub at Faen, who gives no further protest. He relaxes completely at my hands, soft hums of approval as I pamper him.

Once he's all clean and I'm bored of sitting in the spring in my wet clothes, I step out, with a groggy Faen in my arms. He blinks sleepily at me as I swaddle him in a towel and place the new bundle on a nearby rock. Quickly stripping, I place the wet clothes on rocks to dry and wrap a towel around me, then another around my hair.

By the time I carry him through to my room so that I can change, he's fast asleep in his bundle. I chuckle at the sight and gently place him on the bed, nestled amongst the pillows. Quietly stepping away, I turn and rummage through a few bags to retrieve some clothes.

I end up slipping on a sleeveless powder blue, floor length dress. It hugs my figure until my waist before flaring out to the floor. The material is soft and cool, kinda like wearing a cloud.

Pleased with my appearance, I turn to the bundle on the bed, reaching down and scooping the swaddled fawn into my arms.

"Come on you lazy thing," I coo to the little animal buried within, "Let's get you dry and ready yo explore."

I unwind the towel from around Faen's small form, rubbing it along his fur in fast motions to dry him out. He squeals and flails about, trying and failing to escape my grasp. In the end, he just let's out a frustrated snort and complies to my ministrations.

"There you go, love," I smile, bringing my nose to his fur and taking a whiff of the berry scented shampoo I washed him with, "You smell delicious, I could eat you right up!"

I lick my lips deviously at the little fawn, watching in amusement as his eyes widen with slight fear. Laughing, I sooth his flustered nerves as I bring him yo my chest, leading us out the room and into the corridor again.

On the way to the secret entrance, I stop briefly in the makeshift kitchen and grab a small basket and blanket. I place the curious fawn into the basket and continue toward the hidden door, that on this side appears to be a wall covered with a fraying tapestry I found in one the castle's basements.

Pushing a certain pressure point on the wall, the secret door shudders and groans as rusted gears work to open the entrance. I try not to cringe as the protesting gears grate at my sensitive eardrums and slip through the doorway, pulling at the light fixture to close the door behind me securely. Glancing down at Faen, I find him curled up in a ball in the basket, snoring softly.

He sure does sleep a lot.

'He needs the rest for what we have planned,' Aris states, picking up on my thought, as she watches Faen with me, fondness in her words.

True, I laugh, navigating through the run down cottage to the front door, He'll be completely worn out by the end of the day.

'I can't wait to see how he the wonder in his eyes,' her voice is coated with sincerity and I can see her pacing excitedly in my subconscious.

You're not alone on that, I chuckle at her.

She doesn't reply, only shows her impatience to reach the fruit grove on the other side of the river. I weave through the grass, a content smile on my lips as the long grass swishes around my dress. The sun is warm on my skin, not enough to cause discomfort, but enough to warm me inside and out.

I'm no lover of Summer, Winter is my season of choice, but the perpetual early Spring of the meadow is lovely. Its never too hot, but never gets too cold, keeping a constant mild temperature all year round. Sometimes I wonder if a Witch found this place and saw its beauty so they warded this place to be in a constant state of Spring.

I reach the bubbling river that snakes through the meadow, its depth shallow and clear. The water sparkles in the sunlight, glittering pike liquid diamond. Careful not to slip, I place my bare feet in the cool water, not bothering to lift my dress, allowing the bottom to dip into the water.

Wading through the narrow creek, I reach the other side and place the basket on the grassy bank. Stepping out the refreshing coolness of the river, I lift my dress and ring out the remaining water from the hem of the dress. When I release the ends of my dress, the material is crinkled and still damp, but not heavily so.

I don't have to walk much further, bushes laden with ripe fruit surround me. Some trees cluster together at the river edge, others are more spread out. There are fruits of various kinds, always baring fruit, creating a never ending food source for the inhabitants of Springdom.

'Wake, Faen,' Aris makes her presence known in my head, 'I us to show him this paradise.'

Okay, eager beaver, I smirk outwardly at her impatience.

'I am a tiger, not a beaver,' is her gruff reply.

I laugh at her sourness, but do as she wishes, unable to contain my own excitement. Reaching into the backer, I shake Faen's curled up form, stroking his little head as he stirs awake.

"Wakey wakey, sleeping beauty," a smile becomes apparent on my face as I watch him yawn widely as he blinks his eyes sleepily at me.

The real fun begins when he climbs to his spindly legs, slowly taking in his surroundings. The look in his eyes almost causes my heart to burst as he tumbles out the basket in an attempt to jump out gracefully.

Silly little fawn.

Still shaky on his stick like legs, he prances around, never staying in one spot for more than a moment. For a while, I'm content to just sit back and watch our cub, because he is ours, play and explore. Aris is in agreement, her emotions full of love towards our adopted cub.

When Faen comes suddenly comes running in my direction, he tumbles and rolls, before landing in a pile of long legs and twisted body at my feet. He grunts out and untangles his gangly limbs, wobbling to his feet as I giggle at him with mirth in my eyes. His white chin is stained with the juices of the berries he's been consuming like he'll never eat them again. The little fawn looks stuffed, his little belly round with food.

Rising to my feet from my place on the grass, I pick up the basket and pace to the nearest raspberry bush, Faen following dutifully behind me. With the basket hung at the crook of my elbow, I start picking the dark pink fruit from the bush and drop them into the basket.

For hours, I venture around the little grove of fruit trees, picking from the various types of fresh fruits. Halfway through, I spread out the blanket I brought for Faen to rest on, who had grown sleepy once again, tired out from the days events. By the time I've filled my basket till its over flowing, I've accumulated all sorts of tart fruits. Apples, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, litchis, oranges, lemons, pomegranates, blackberries, mulberries, nectarines, the whole lot.

When I return to where I left Faen, I plop down on the grass beside the sleeping fawn, laying down on my stomach with my elbows leaning on the checkered blanket. Aris pushes forward and in allow her, her presence taking the place of mine as I'm pushed to the recesses of my mind.

She takes control, but doesn't shift, content to remain in human form as she run our fingers through Faen's soft fur. Aris purrs, leaning our head down to rub our face in the crook of the Faen's neck, scenting him and familiarizing herself with his earthy smell. Its heartening to watch how a predator can react towards what is supposed to be prey, her mother like tenderness towards the fawn is amazing to watch.

I push forward again, not chasing her out, but merging our minds together. This is something I've heard is difficult to achieve with most shifters to accomplish with their animal counterparts. It's also something I've always been able to do with ease, the bond with Aris so strong that even in moments that we disagree, we remain a force to be reckoned with.

They that those who can achieve merging their minds with their animal, mean that they have the strength of two royal shifters, their senses so much stronger than any average shifter could hope to achieve. Merging minds with your animal heightens your senses in your human form as if you had shifted, giving you an advantage over your enemies. Your thoughts are their thoughts and theirs are yours, you think as one and work as one, hence then reason you become so strong. The saying does go that two minds are greater than one.

As we merge our individual minds, the barrier between our separate consciousnesses becomes non existent. Its like all weakness disappears. When this happens in human form, shifters eyes will take on the appearance of their animals eye, becoming animalistic. They practically glow.

When Aris and I merge, our eyes glow a brilliant sapphire blue, appearing almost like flames are trapped in the irises. The pupil takes on a slight oval shape, becoming a slit in the bright light, but otherwise appearing rather human.

The feeling is calming, to be one with your inner beast, to be that close and empowered by the animal that resides in you. I know Aris agrees, she loves it when we merge and we share the front seat, controlling together.

Faen stirs beside us, lifting his head from its resting place in his side and gazes at us with inquisitive eyes, seemingly noticing the difference in me. He tilts his head adorably, watching me, more particularly my eyes.

"Be calm, Faen," we speak, our voice slightly deeper with the power of our two Minda working as one.

We reach out to pet his head, when a snap resounds through our ears like gunfire. Whipping our head around to look behind us, we survey the meadow, the chirping of birds and beetles silenced by the unknown presence. At first nothing happens, though we sense no danger, we know there's something lurking in the opposite treeline.

With a rumbling growl that startles a few birds out of trees, we stand to our feet, stepping before our cub as a protective measure. We can hear Faen trembling behind us, though we know its not at us, but at the prospect of danger.

Aris and I wouldn't let a single hair hair be harmed on his little body, he is ours and no body hurts what's ours. We take a step forward, letting another fearsome growl pierce the silence that hangs in the meadow.

"Intruder, show yourself," our voice is almost unrecognizable, the anger in our voice is palpable.

We don't like unwanted visitors our territory, which is what we consider this place to be. After another pregnant silence, the crackling of leaves is heard as the soft sound of paws padding across the ground becomes apparent. Our eyes zone in on the form that approaches, drinking in the sight that is a familiar white wolf.

•°•°•

Almost 2600 words. Yay!

I can't tell you how sorry I am, I can't believe how long it took me to update. I've had such bad writers block, I haven't been able to update any of my stories.

Please forgive my extreme lateness and I hope you enjoyed this long chapter. The next one it already under way. Hopefully it won't be long till the next update.

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LilMissImperfection xoxo

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